The U.S. authorities believe that Russia is trying to use the issue of energy supplies to exert pressure on Ukraine, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki has said.

"We condemn Russia's efforts to use energy as a tool of coercion against Ukraine," she said at a briefing on Thursday.

Psaki also added: "Ukraine is now paying $485 [per 1,000 cubic meters], a price clearly not set by market forces and well above the average price paid by EU members."

She said that Washington was ready to support Ukraine to resolve the energy problem. Assistance may concern the urgent provision of financial resources, as well as consultations on issues related to energy, she said. In addition, the U.S. supports the idea of organizing, if need be, gas supplies from the EU to Ukraine, she added.

When asked whether those who sell gas have the right to individually resolve the question of the value of their product, Psaki said: "I'm just speaking to our views on their steps they've taken."

The price Ukraine pays for Russian gas rose to $385.5 per 1,000 cubic meters as of April 1 from $268.5 after Gazprom canceled the discounts that were in effect in the first quarter. On the next day, April 2, Russia renounced the "Kharkiv agreements," which sent the price Ukraine pays to $485.5 per 1,000 cubic meters.