VALDOSTA — Gasoline prices in South Georgia continued to climb last week, following state and national trends.

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Valdosta was $3.16, up three cents in a week, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

The lowest price reported in Tifton early this week was $3.04 at a store on U.S. 82 West, the price tracking website gasbuddy.com said. In Valdosta, the lowest price reported was $2.69 per gallon at a store on the Madison Highway.

Valdosta was in a four-way tie with Macon, Gainesville and Augusta for the seventh-highest gas prices among the 15 Georgia metro markets surveyed by the auto club — below Savannah, Rome, Hinesville, Dalton, Atlanta and Athens but above Warner Robins, Columbus, Catoosa, Brunswick and Albany.

Nationally, the average price of gasoline was $3.37 per gallon, up four cents in seven days, while Georgia’s average of $3.20 per gallon was up seven cents in the same period, AAA said.

“At the moment, only one person knows why Russia is threatening Ukraine, and that’s Russian President Vladimir Putin,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “And the tensions along the Ukrainian border have helped push crude oil prices higher almost daily.”