ST. LOUIS—Gas prices in Missouri and Illinois have reached record-highs today. In St. Louis, a gallon of regular gas is costing drivers $4.17 on average, according to AAA. The price in the metro area is up 22 cents from a week ago. 

Illinois has seen one of the biggest price jumps in the last 7 days, with the average price of gas up 25 cents a gallon to $4.79 a gallon. In the Metro East, the price is about $4.66 a gallon, also a record. 

Missouri’s gas prices, the third lowest in the nation according to AAA, have also reached a record-high of $4.01 a gallon. The is the first time the price has been over $4.00.

Nationally, the average is $4.41 a gallon, up nine cents since Monday and nearly 30 cents from a month ago. 

“Volatility in the global oil market has set the stage for rollercoaster pump prices to start the summer driving season,” said AAA Spokesperson Nick Chabarria. “While there is no magic wand to wave to increase a vehicle’s fuel economy, drivers should look for ways to increase their miles per gallon like regular vehicle maintenance and defensive driving habits.”

The price is largely because many buyers are refusing to purchase Russian oil because of its invasion of Ukraine. The European Union is considering an embargo on oil from Russia, which is a major supplier. Those pressures leave less oil to go around.

President Joe Biden released oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in November and March, hoping to reduce prices. That helped temporarily, but prices shot back up and stayed stubbornly high.

Earlier this week, Biden stressed that fighting inflation is his top priority, a sign of both the economic challenges caused by prices rising at the fastest pace in four decades and the political drag for Democrats that has resulted.

Republican lawmakers say the key is to lease more federal land for oil and gas drilling and send a positive message to energy producers by greenlighting the Keystone XL pipeline Biden nixed last year.