Gasoline prices in Russia are too high, but the government is trying to bring the cost of fuel down, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Sunday.

"I think that in Russia, gasoline prices are too high," Putin told construction workers on the newly completed Khabarovsk-Chita highway.

"We're trying to fight it. We will check. According to the calculations, it seems to be all right. It is probably necessary to take closer look at these calculations," he added, without specifying what steps the government is taking.

Around the Russian capital, gasoline costs about 80 cents a liter, compared with an average U.S. price of just over 70 cents a liter. Russia is the world's biggest exporter of oil while the United States is the biggest oil importer.

In Western Europe, where taxes make up most of the price of gasoline, drivers pay far more - in England, a liter of gasoline costs more than $1.70 at the pump.

Putin is driving the new 2,000-kilometer highway, having set out on Friday in a Lada Kalina with a view to seeing some of Russia's regions for himself.

The highway passes through Khabarovsk Territory, Jewish Autonomous Region, Amur Region and Transbaikal Territory.

ON THE BORDER OF AMUR TERRITORY AND CHITA REGION, August 29 (RIA Novosti)