Brent gained 28 cents to $78.16 a barrel , WTI rose 34 cents at $72.90.

Russia has delivered the first drop of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its heavily sanctioned flagship project, Arctic LNG-2.

For the ITER project, which is under construction in Cadarache in southern France, Russia's responsibilities include manufacturing 179 of the most energy intensive (up to 5 MW per square metre) panels of the first wall, which is 40% of the total area of ​​the reactor wall.

Brent rose 21 cents, or 0.27%, to $77.01 a barrel. WTI gained 20 cents, or 0.28%, to reach $71.57 a barrel.

“Nuclear energy currently provides almost half of the nation’s carbon-free power, and it will continue to play a significant part in transitioning to a clean energy future,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.

"With more Americans choosing to drive EVs, President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is building out a reliable and interoperable nationwide EV charging network – an undertaking never before seen in the United States.

Brent frose 18 cents, or 0.2%, to $76.30 a barrel. WTI inched up 0.1%, or 6 cents, to $70.83 a barrel.

The US Treasury Department announced the steps Wednesday, including sanctions on Bellatrix Energy Ltd., a Hong Kong-based firm among the shadowy traders that emerged to help Russia keep its oil exports flowing.

Russia is eyeing the Northern Sea Route across the Arctic Ocean to supply the cargoes to the east, to cut the time and cost of bringing its fuel to market.

Russia’s Novatek PJSC, which leads the Arctic LNG 2 project, sent force majeure notices to some of the facility’s buyers,