By Arathy Somasekhar
(Reuters) – Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday amid oil supply disruptions in the U.S. and Russia and as markets awaited clarity on the Ukraine peace talks.
Brent crude futures gained 20 cents, or 0.3% at $76.04 a barrel at 0146 GMT, climbing for a third day.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for March rose 23 cents, or 0.3%, to $72.08 a barrel, up 1.7% from the close on Friday after not settling on Monday because of the Presidents’ Day public holiday. The March contract expires on Thursday and the more active April contract gained 0.3% to $72.04.
Russia said oil flows through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), a major route for crude exports from Kazakhstan, were reduced by 30%-40% on Tuesday after a Ukrainian drone attack on a pumping station. A 30% cut would equate to the loss of 380,000 barrels per day of supply to the market, according to Reuters calculations.
Meanwhile, cold weather threatened U.S. oil supply, with the North Dakota Pipeline Authority estimating that production in the country’s No. 3 producing state would be down by as much as 150,000 bpd because of the cold.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration said on Tuesday it had agreed to hold more talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine. A deal could ease or help remove sanctions that have disrupted the flows of Russian oil shipments.
Israel and Hamas will also begin indirect negotiations on a second stage of the Gaza ceasefire deal, officials said on Tuesday.
However, Trump said on Tuesday he intends to impose auto tariffs “in the neighbourhood of 25%” and similar duties on semiconductors and pharmaceutical imports. Tariffs could raise prices for consumer products, weaken the economy and reduce demand for fuel.
(Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar in Houston; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
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