In June the EU announced that, come December 5th, it would ban imports of Russian seaborne crude oil, which accounted for 2m barrels per day (b/d), or about 40% of Russia’s total crude exports, a year ago.

Gas prices are four times higher than normal for this time of year, fueling inflation and hurting economies.

Brent had firmed 70 cents or 0.84% to $83.73 per barrel, WTI climbed 56 cents or 0.72% to $78.76 per barrel.

With Russia cutting most of its gas supplies to Europe in the fallout over Moscow’s war in Ukraine, the continent is set to delve further into its stockpiles that it has spent months accumulating.

The EU aims to end its reliance on Russian fossil fuels by 2027. For now, Moscow’s move to halt supplies through the main Nord Stream 1 pipeline has led the bloc to increase shipments of Russian seaborne gas by around 50 per cent.

The European Union needs additional funds to decouple from Russian gas and shield companies and households from the current energy crisis,

Brent dropped $2.16, or 2.6%, to trade at $81.47 a barrel, WTI slid $2.08, or 2.7%, to $74.20 a barrel.

OPEC+ agreed on Oct. 5 to slash its production quotas by 2 million b/d starting in November, saying it was a "technical decision" aimed at averting the impact of a potential global recession.

Despite having already spent hundreds of billions of euros ensuring storage sites are filled this winter and providing support to households and businesses, the strain on public funds as well as pain for households and businesses are likely to continue next year.

Brent rose by 41 cents, or 0.48%, to trade at $85.75 a barrel, WTI went up by 57 cents, or 0.73%, from Wednesday's close to $78.51 a barrel.