HOUSTON, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The American Petroleum Institute (API) on Tuesday reported a decrease of 3 million barrels of crude oil in U.S. inventories for the week ending March 25.

       Analysts expected a decrease of about 1.558 million barrels for this week.

       The API reported a decline of 4.28 million barrels in the previous week.

       Oil prices fell on Tuesday as Russia-Ukraine peace talks showed progress.

       The West Texas Intermediate for May delivery lost 1.72 U.S. dollars, or 1.6 percent, to settle at 104.24 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for May delivery decreased 2.25 dollars, or 2 percent, to close at 110.23 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

       The above market reactions followed reports of progress in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

       The two sides held a fresh round of face-to-face peace talks in Istanbul on Tuesday. Russian chief negotiator said the talks were "constructive."

       Meanwhile, traders continued to assess the impact of COVID-19 on fuel demand.

       On Monday, oil market experienced a marked pullback with the U.S. crude standard and Brent tumbling 7 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively.