Oil headed for the first weekly decline this year after Donald Trump raised the prospect of trade wars and said he will ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to lower prices in his first few days as the new US president.

West Texas Intermediate fell toward $74 a barrel, and is down almost 5% this week, while Brent closed near $78. Trump's first week in the White House began with tariff threats on Canada, Mexico and China, followed by a pledge that he would ask the producer group to "bring down the cost of oil."

That's helped put futures on track for the biggest weekly loss since November, though prices are still higher this year after a cold Northern Hemisphere winter drove up heating demand and US sanctions on Russia upended crude markets. Trump has threatened more penalties on Moscow if President Vladimir Putin doesn't "make a deal" to end the prolonged war in Ukraine.

The broad US sanctions that were implemented in the final days of the Biden administration tightened the flow of Russian oil and increased prices of other physical barrels from the Middle East. That's led to some Asian refiners lowering crude processing rates or considering cuts.

US crude stockpiles, meanwhile, declined for a ninth week, according to a report on Thursday from the Energy Information Administration. Inventories are lower than the five-year seasonal average for this time of the year, and went against an earlier industry report which estimated a build.

WTI for March delivery fell 0.5% to $74.24 a barrel at 8:42 a.m. in Singapore. Brent for March settlement closed 0.9% lower at $78.29 a barrel on Thursday.

Source: Bloomberg