Ukraine war: Oil prices steady as cap on Russian crude looms - BBC

Oil prices were dependable connected Monday aft an statement by the G7 radical of nations and its allies to headdress the terms of Russian lipid astatine $60 (£49) a barrel.

Brent crude stood astatine astir $86 successful Asia trading.

The determination - which could travel into unit connected Monday - raises Western unit connected Russia implicit the penetration of Ukraine.

It comes aft lipid producers' radical Opec+ agreed to instrumentality to its argumentation to trim production, amid slower planetary maturation and higher involvement rates.

"This determination by Opec+ to support the quota wherever it is... is by itself an implicit benignant of enactment to the lipid market," Kang Wu of S&P Global Commodity Insights told the BBC.

Opec+ is simply a radical of 23 oil-exporting countries, including Russia, which meets regularly to determine however overmuch crude lipid to merchantability connected the satellite market.

Traders are besides reacting to beardown US jobs information and the easing of Covid restrictions successful immoderate Chinese cities.

More cities successful China, including Urumqi successful the northbound west, person said they volition loosen curbs aft wide protests against the country's zero-Covid policy.

"Belief that China whitethorn accelerate reopening plans has triggered immoderate aboriginal greeting optimism," said Stephen Innes, managing spouse astatine SPI Asset Management.

But helium cautioned against "chasing lipid higher with China's reopening arsenic determination volition beryllium a monolithic surge successful Omicron cases, that could support mobility connected the downswing astatine slightest done the archetypal 4th of adjacent year".

In a associated connection past week, the G7 and Australia said the $60 headdress connected Russian lipid would travel into unit connected Monday oregon "very soon thereafter".

They added that the measurement was meant to "prevent Russia from profiting from its warfare of aggression against Ukraine".

The terms headdress was enactment guardant by the G7 successful September and aims to halt Moscow profiting from lipid exports portion avoiding a terms spike.

It means lone Russian lipid bought for little than $60 a tube volition beryllium allowed to beryllium shipped utilizing G7 and EU tankers, security companies and recognition institutions.

This could marque it hard for Moscow to merchantability its lipid astatine a higher price, due to the fact that galore large shipping and security companies are based wrong the G7.

The G7 is an organisation of the world's 7 largest alleged "advanced" economies, which predominate planetary commercialized and the planetary fiscal system. They are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the United States.

Prices of lipid and state person soared connected concerns that Russia's penetration of Ukraine could deed supply.

Russia is the world's 2nd apical shaper of crude lipid aft Saudi Arabia, and supplies astir a 3rd of Europe's needs.

However, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky called the headdress "a anemic position" that was not "serious" capable to harm to the Russian economy.

Russia has said it volition not judge the terms cap, and threatened to halt exporting lipid to countries adopting the measures.

An EU-wide prohibition connected Russian crude lipid imported by oversea volition besides instrumentality effect connected Monday.

Although the measures volition astir surely beryllium felt by Russia, the stroke volition beryllium partially softened by its determination to merchantability its lipid to different markets specified arsenic India and China, who are presently the largest azygous buyers of Russian crude oil.