NATO, Poland comments on missile ease fears of wider war
Struggling Chinese demand weighs
U.S. crude inventories decline more than expected

LONDON, Nov 17 Reuters Oil slipped on Thursday, pressured by easing concerns over geopolitical tensions and Chinese demand worries, although signs of tighter supply including lower U.S. inventories lent support.

Poland and NATO said on Wednesday a missile that crashed inside NATO member Poland was probably a stray fired by Ukraine39;s air defences and not a Russian strike, easing fears of the war between Russian and Ukraine spilling across the border.

It looks like we aren39;t seeing an immediate escalation from the Russians and that has tentatively removed some of the shortterm supply risks, said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA.

Brent crude was down 43 cents, or 0.5, to 92.43 a barrel at 0914 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate WTI crude also slid 43 cents, or 0.5, to 85.16.

Concern about weak demand in China, the world39;s largest crude importer, also weighed on the market.

China on Thursday reported rising daily COVID19 infections. Chinese refiners have asked to reduce Saudi crude volume in December, Reuters has reported, and are also slowing Russian crude purchases.

Struggling Chinese consumption is embodied in sinking domestic need for both Russian and Saudi crude oil, said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM.

While China39;s COVID caseload is small compared with the rest of the world, it maintains stringent…