Germany and Hungary are putting the brakes on a potential EU embargo on Russian oil,

The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (“Aramco” or “the Company”) announced its full-year 2021 financial results, reporting that net income more than doubled year-on-year to $110.0 billion. Aramco declared a fourth quarter dividend of $18.8 billion, to be paid in the first quarter of 2022.

Brent climbed $3.74, or 3.5%, to $111.67 a barrel, WTI rose $3.98, or 3.8%, to $108.68.

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $104.96 a barrel on Thursday, compared with $104.06 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations

Russian inflows to China hit a nine-month low of 1.42 million b/d in February, down 26.1% year on year and more than 25% month on month.

Preliminary production figures for February 2022 show an average daily production of 1 980 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate.

U.S. Rig Count is unchanged from last week at 663, Canada Rig Count is down 30 from last week to 176.

Brent rose 82 cents, or 0.8%, to $107.46 a barrel, WTI climbed $1.14, or 1.1%, to $104.12 a barrel.

Oil imports by Asia's third-largest economy rose 5% from January and were up 24% from a low base in February 2021, when a refinery at Bathinda in northern India was fully shut for maintenance, data showed.

The world's fourth-biggest crude importer received 10.565 million mt, or 77.44 million barrels, of crude oil in February, compared with 74.97 million barrels imported a year earlier, marking a fifth consecutive month of year-on-year increase,

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.