oil futures climbed monday with us prices up over 17 for the month  the largest such rise since may 2020 according to dow jones market data traders remained focused on the potential threat to oil supplies from russia which on monday said the united states was provoking an escalation of the situation with ukraine by falsely charging moscow with preparing to invade ukraine according to a report from the washington post west texas intermediate crude for march delivery clh22 rose 133 or 15 to settle at 8815 a barrel on the new york mercantile exchange for the month the frontmonth contract gained 172 prices also marked their highest settlement since early october 2014