By Scott DiSavino
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Oil prices eased about 1% on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed moves to end the three-year-old war in Ukraine, which could result in a possible easing of sanctions on Russian fuel exports.
Putin agreed to Trump’s proposal that Russia and Ukraine cease attacking each other’s energy infrastructure for 30 days.
Brent futures fell 51 cents, or 0.7%, to settle at $70.56 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 68 cents, or 1.0%, to settle at $66.90.
Even if the U.S. and Russia work out a ceasefire in Ukraine, some analysts said it will likely take a long while before Russian energy exports increase in a significant way.
Russia produced about 9.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude in 2024, down from a recent high of 9.8 million bpd in 2022 and a record 10.6 million bpd in 2016, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data going back to 1997.
In addition to a possible boost to global oil supplies from Russia, economic worries related to Trump’s trade tariffs also weighed on crude prices.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warned that U.S. tariffs would reduce economic growth in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and weigh on global energy demand.
In the world’s biggest economy, U.S. single-family homebuilding rebounded sharply in February amid a thaw in winter weather, but rising construction costs from tariffs and labor shortages threaten the recovery.
“Recession is increasingly seen as likely and tariffs have taken over as the number one threat to the economy, with numerous types of tariffs to several different countries scheduled to hit the tape on April 2,” Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho, said in a report.
Analysts at energy analytics firm Wood Mackenzie projected Brent prices would average $73 per barrel in 2025, down $7 per barrel from 2024 due to U.S. tariff policies and OPEC+ plans to boost output.
Earlier this month, OPEC+, which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies like Russia, decided to proceed with a planned oil output increase in April.
MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS
Earlier in the day, crude futures hit a two-week high on worries Middle East instability could reduce oil supplies, and hopes economic stimulus plans in China and Germany could boost demand for the fuel in two of the world’s biggest economies.
In Yemen, Trump vowed to continue the U.S. assault on the Iran-backed Houthis unless the group ends attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
