“We won’t join the United States, but will cooperate closely with them,” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news briefing. “Self Defense Force assets will ensure the safety of vessels related to Japan.”

Brent slipped 16 cents to $58.58 a barrel, WTI gained 2 cents to $52.83.

The expansion of interaction with our Saudi partners along the entire chain of cooperation for us, in essence, is the creation of a new alliance in order to maintain our competitiveness in world markets and to develop the national and world energy in general.

Brent dropped $1.46 to $59.05 a barrel, WTI lost $1.27 at $53.43 a barrel.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that Russia will work with Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations to counter recent instability in the oil markets caused by attacks on energy sites in the Middle East.

The global economy has started to slow down in 2019, reflecting an impact from USChina trade tensions, as well as the economic cycle in the US.

Brent rose as much as 2.3% to $60.46 a barrel and were at $60.13 per barrel, WTI rose as much as 2.1% to $54.69 a barrel and were at $54.47 per barrel, up 92 cents.

U.S. oilfield services firm Halliburton on Wednesday said it was cutting 650 jobs across Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and North Dakota amid slowing oil and gas activity.

Brent was down 9 cents at $58.15 a barrel, West Texas Intermediate was at $52.55, down 8 cents.

EIA forecasts Brent spot prices will average $59/b in the fourth quarter of 2019 and then fall to $57/b by the second quarter of 2020,

Brent rose 34 cents or 0.6% to $58.71 a barrel, WTI was at $53.16, up 35 cents or 0.7%.

Brent rose 12 cents, or 0.2%, to $57.83 a barrel, WTI rose 9 cents, or 0.2%, to $52.54.

“What matters is supply predictability and reliability. We have a business-like approach with our energy partners in Europe and the rest of the world, of a commercial nature with no political reasoning,” Putin added.

“Rosneft has recently adjusted all the new contracts for export supplies to euros. We’ve been notified,” a trader at a company regularly buying from Rosneft told Reuters.

Brent crude rose 47 cents, or 0.8%, to $59.36 a barrel, West Texas Intermediate crude was at $54.29 a barrel, up 67 cents or 1.3%.