Oil News: Crude Oil Futures Slip as Ukraine Talks Cloud Oil Outlook and Demand

Crude Oil Slips as Ukraine Talks Stall and Fed Cut Looms

Light crude futures are a touch softer this morning after failing to hold Friday’s momentum. Buyers tried to punch through Friday’s high at $60.50 and extend the move above the 50-day moving average, but that break didn’t stick. We’re back below the 50-day MA at $59.67, which puts it back in play as resistance and tells you the market lost a bit of nerve.

At 12:25 GMT, Light Crude Oil Futures are trading $59.44, down $0.64 or -1.07%.

Oil Prices Forecast Pressured by Heavy Top-Side Resistance

The technical picture isn’t doing the bulls any favors. Crude now sits under a stack of resistance: the 200-day moving average near $60.96, Friday’s high at $60.50, and the 50-day MA at $59.67. That’s a thick ceiling. With momentum flipping lower, traders are again eyeing the short-term retracement zone at $59.23–$58.44 as the next support pocket. Sellers have a cleaner path than buyers right now, and the market is acting like it knows it.

Crude Oil News Today: Ukraine Talks Add Supply Risk

Fundamentals aren’t offering much lift either. Markets are watching slow-moving Ukraine peace talks, and the read is simple: any ceasefire or breakthrough could free up more Russian barrels. Traders don’t need a signed deal — even chatter is enough to cool sentiment. Analysts at PVM echoed the idea that renewed Russian exports would lean on prices, and the market traded that way overnight. Progress remains limited, but the possibility alone keeps buyers cautious.

Oil Prices Projections Weigh Fed Cut Odds Against Supply Swings

The Fed is expected to deliver a quarter-point cut this week, with markets pricing it at roughly 84%. Normally that would lean supportive for crude, but the meeting looks split, and traders aren’t banking on a smooth policy path. In other words, softer rates may help, but not enough to overpower supply-side uncertainty.

Analysts warn that Trump’s push on Ukraine could swing global supply by more than 2 million barrels per day depending on the outcome — a wide range and not one the market is eager to price aggressively.

Supply Wildcards Keep Bulls on the Back Foot

Add in potential new G7/EU curbs on Russian exports, U.S. pressure on Venezuela, and Chinese refiners quietly drawing more Iranian barrels, and the supply picture stays noisy. There’s no clean directional cue here — just a market trying to gauge which lever gets pulled next. Traders aren’t chasing rallies, but they’re not panicking either. They’re waiting.

Bottom Line: Outlook Tilts Bearish Unless Buyers Defend Support

With crude boxed under major moving-average resistance and momentum slipping, the path of least resistance leans lower. If sellers press, that $59.23–$58.44 retracement zone becomes the key area to watch for dip-buyers. Until that holds — and until headlines cooperate — the bias stays bearish.

More Information in our Economic Calendar.