Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of the IAEA’s efforts to prevent a nuclear accident during the current military conflict in Ukraine, stressing the urgent need to establish a safety and security protection zone around the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).

European authorities are on high alert for any signs of sabotage on energy infrastructure since the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month.

EU energy ministers gathering in Prague on Wednesday will consider that model, which has already been adopted by Spain and Portugal, allowing consumers to avoid the worst of the price surges.

Brent was down $1.63, or 1.7%, to $94.56 a barrel, WTI dropped $1.82, or 2%, to $89.31.

The OPEC+ alliance, co-chaired by Russia and Saudi Arabia, last week agreed to cut its production by 2 million barrels a day, the biggest reduction since 2020.

In total, Russian enterprises have manufactured and shipped more than 1,000 pedestals. The ITER Design Centre, a private institution under Rosatom, performs the functions of the Russian National Agency for ITER, responsible for ensuring Russia's in-kind contribution to the project.

Brent was down 77 cents, or 0.8%, at $97.15 a barrel, WTI was at $92 a barrel, down 64 cents, or 0.7%.

Benchmark Dutch front-month futures dropped as much as 7.8% to 144 euros per megawatt-hour, the lowest intraday since July 1.

Europe's gas price benchmark, the TTF month-ahead contract, traded Oct. 7 below Eur160/MWh, more than 50% lower than peaks seen in late August.

Brent were down 25 cents, or 0.26%, to $94.17 a barrel, WTI were down 25 cents at $88.20 a barrel.