Johan Sverdrup field partially resumes output
Biden allows Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to strike into Russia
U.S. crude slips into contango, suggesting easing supply tightness

LONDON, Nov 19 Reuters Oil prices steadied on Tuesday as the restart of production at Norway39;s Johan Sverdrup oilfield offset investor concerns about an escalation in the RussiaUkraine war.

Equinor resumed partial production from the North Sea oilfield, Western Europe39;s largest, after a power outage there helped lift oil prices by over 3 on Monday.

Brent crude futures were down 12 cents, or 0.2, at 73.18 a barrel by 1425 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures slipped by 19 cents, or 0.3, to 68.97.

I guess the partial restart of the Sverdrup field is the driver of the setback, as well as a slightly stronger U.S. dollar, said Giovanni Staunovo, analyst at UBS.

The U.S. dollar edged up on Tuesday to within striking distance of its oneyear high. A strong dollar makes commodities such as oil more expensive for other currency holders and tends to weigh on prices.

A continuing outage at Kazakhstan39;s biggest oilfield, Tengiz, also provided support. Tengiz has reduced oil output by 28 to 30 for repairs which are expected to be completed by Saturday, the country39;s energy ministry said.

A rise in geopolitical tensions also underpinned prices.

Ukraine used U.S. ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory for the first time on Tuesday, Moscow said, in an attack described by…