Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sees Brent Oil Price Above $80 At Year-End

Brent Crude prices are set to be slightly higher than $80 per barrel at the end of this year, thanks to rising demand in the summer and production reductions from OPEC+, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told Izvestiya in an interview published on Thursday.  Early on Thursday, Brent was trading at $77.21, down by 1.47% on the day. According to Novak, Russia’s task is not inflating oil prices but balancing the market. Russia warned in February that it would cut its crude oil production by 500,000 bpd due to EU import bans…