Our relations are a strategic partnership, even a specially privileged strategic partnership, as our Indian friends called it some time ago.

Europe's largest economy is heavily dependent upon Russia for energy, and nations banks echoed concerns over possible energy disruption expressed by big names in industry in recent days.

Brent slid by 79 cents to $103.92 a barrel, WTI were down $1.02 at $99.26 a barrel.

Reconfirm the baseline adjustment, the production adjustment plan and the monthly production adjustment mechanism approved at the 19th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting and the decision to adjust upward the monthly overall production by 0.432 mb/d for the month of May 2022, as per the attached schedule.

But there was no sign on Friday of an immediate interruption. Flows remained steady through two of the three main pipelines bringing Russian gas into Europe - Nord Stream 1 across the Baltic Sea, and into Slovakia over Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order March 31 prohibiting supply of Russian gas to countries that have imposed sanctions against Moscow if they refuse to pay for imports in rubles.

We imported from Russia just 0.419 million mt in the April-December period of the current fiscal year 2021-22 (April-March). That is just 0.2% of the total requirement.

Ukraine informed the IAEA that the Russian forces that have been in control of Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) since 24 February had, in writing, transferred control of the NPP to Ukrainian personnel and moved two convoys of troops towards Belarus.

Brent fell $4.87, or 4.3%, to $108.58 a barrel, WTI fell $5.90, or 5.5%, to $101.92 a barrel .

"The change in the procedure for settlements is introduced due to the fact that, in violation of international law, the foreign exchange reserves of the Bank of Russia were frozen by the EU member states," the Kremlin said.