U.S., Russia energy officials spoke about global oil market plunge

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette spoke with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak about the slump in global oil markets on Tuesday, the U.S. Energy Department said in a release.

The call occurred a day after President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone conversation to have their top energy officials discuss the drop in global oil markets.

Oil has fallen sharply because of travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and as Russia and Saudi Arabia wage a battle over oil market share.

Brouillette and Novak “had a productive discussion on the current volatility in global oil markets,” Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

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