By Colleen Howe and Jeslyn Lerh
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil prices were little changed on Wednesday as investors await the next steps in talks to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, leaving in place sanctions on Russian crude and the chance of further restrictions on its buyers.
Brent crude futures were at $65.90 a barrel, up 11 cents, at 0405 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for September delivery, set to expire on Wednesday, were at $62.40 a barrel, up 5 cents. The more-active October contract was at $61.90 a barrel, up 13 cents.
Prices settled down more than 1% on Tuesday on optimism a deal to end the war seemed closer, which would mean the easing sanctions on Russia and an increase in global supply.
“Crude markets are in limbo… continued protracted peace talks will keep the market on its toes,” said Emril Jamil, a senior analyst at LSEG.
Despite comments from U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday the U.S. might provide air support as part of a deal to end Russia’s war in the country, he also conceded Russian President Vladimir Putin might not want to make a deal after all.
Trump on Monday said he was arranging a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy, to be followed by a trilateral summit among the three presidents.
Trump said on Tuesday he discussed holding possible talks between Zelenskiy and Putin in Hungary with the country’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Russia has not confirmed it will take part in talks with Zelenskiy.
“The likelihood of a quick resolution to the conflict with Russia now seems unlikely,” said Daniel Hynes, senior commodity strategist at ANZ, in a note on Wednesday.
In the U.S., BP said on Tuesday operations at its 440,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Whiting, Indiana, were affected due to flooding caused by a severe thunderstorm overnight, potentially weighing on the facility’s crude demand. The site is a key fuel producer for the Midwest market.
Prices found some support as industry inventory report indicated steady crude and fuel demand in the U.S., the world’s biggest oil consumer.
U.S. crude oil inventories fell by 2.42 million barrels in the week ended August 15, market sources said on Tuesday, citing American Petroleum Institute figures.
Gasoline inventories fell by 956,000 barrels, while distillate inventories rose by 535,000 barrels from last week, the sources said.
(Reporting by Colleen Howe in Beijing and Jeslyn Lerh in Singapore; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
