U.S. commercial crude oil inventories increased by 4.3 million barrels from the previous week to 415.9 million barrels.

Brent gained $6.41, or 6.5%, to $104.43 a barrel, WTI was up $5.95, or 6.3%, to $100.99 a barrel.

The price for WTI, the U.S. benchmark, will average $113/b in March and $112/b for the second quarter of 2022.

Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a strategic partnership council. Earlier, Johnson met the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nayhan, in Abu Dhabi.

Brent were last up $2.64, or 2.6%, at $102.55 a barrel, WTI rose $1.91, or 2%, to stand at $98.35 a barrel.

Средняя цена на нефть Urals за период мониторинга с 15 февраля 2022 года по 14 марта 2022 года составила $95,59575 за баррель, или $697,8 за тонну.

The 2022 forecast for global oil demand growth remains under assessment at 4.2 mb/d, with OECD forecast at 1.9 mb/d and non-OECD at 2.3 mb/d.

But getting Saudi Arabia and the UAE to agree to pump more crude would require them to break a more-than-five-year partnership with Russia that has forged strong ties beyond oil — an uncertain prospect as they increasingly look eastward for political allies.

Brent were down $8.90, or 8.3%, to $98 a barrel, WTI was down $8.97, or 8.7%, to $94.04 a barrel.

In 2021, Russia was the largest natural gas-exporting country in the world, the second-largest crude oil and condensates-exporting country after Saudi Arabia, and the third-largest coal-exporting country behind Indonesia and Australia.

"Russia's oil and petroleum product exports to India have approached $1 billion, and there are clear opportunities to increase this figure," said Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, according to a statement shared by Russia's embassy in India late on Friday.

"We have good prospects and a common interest in continuing coordination on the global energy market, including within the framework of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow following talks with his Qatari counterpart.

Saudi Arabia's national oil company Saudi Aramco has taken the final investment decision (FID) to participate in the development of a 300,000 bbl/d refinery in the city of Panjin, in China’s Liaoning Province.

Brent were last down by $3.81 or 3.4% at $108.86 a barrel, WTI eased $3.85 or 3.5% to $105.48 a barrel.

U.S. Rig Count is up 13 from last week to 663, Canada Rig Count is down 11 from last week to 206.