By Enes Tunagur
LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices rose on Monday to their highest level in three weeks, as investors eyed further U.S. sanctions on Russia that may affect global supplies, while more oil imports by China also offered support along with signs of tighter supply.
Brent crude futures rose 89 cents, or 1.3%, to $71.25 a barrel by 1114 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed 93 cents, or 1.4%, to $69.38.
Higher crude imports by China and expectations around U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement on Russia are supporting prices, UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said.
“…There is still a perceived tightness in the market, with most of the inventory build in China and on ships, and not in key locations,” he said.
Russia’s seaborne oil product exports in June were down 3.4% from May at 8.98 million metric tons, data from industry sources and Reuters calculations showed.
Trump said on Sunday that he will send Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine. He is due to make a “major statement” on Russia on Monday, having expressed his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin due to the lack of progress in ending the war in Ukraine.
A bipartisan U.S. bill that would hit Russia with sanctions gained momentum last week in Congress. European Union envoys, meanwhile, are on the verge of agreeing an 18th package of sanctions against Russia that would include a lower oil price cap.
China’s June oil imports increased 7.4% on the year to 12.14 million barrels per day, the highest since August 2023, according to customs data released on Monday.
Last week, Brent rose 3%, while WTI had a weekly gain of around 2.2%, after the International Energy Agency said the global oil market may be tighter than it appears.
Investors are also eyeing the outcome of U.S. tariff talks with key trading partners.
(Reporting by Florence Tan in Singapore and Sam Li in Beijing; Editing by Jamie Freed, Kate Mayberry and Susan Fenton)
