Summary The API data Tuesday showed US inventories falling by more than 1.9 million barrels last week.
Oil prices rose in Asian trade Wednesday on an unexpected fall in US crude stockpiles but eurozone ministers' failure to reach a Greek bailout deal pared earlier gains, analysts said.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in January was up two cents at $86.77 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for January delivery added 16 cents to $109.99.
Prices were off morning highs after news out of Europe that the ministers had ended an emergency meeting on Greece's next tranche of bailout cash without a deal, said Jason Hughes, head of premium client management for IG Markets Singapore.
"I think that certainly has taken the gloss off the risk markets," he told AFP.
The ministers said in a statement at the end of talks, which ended in the small hours, that they would meet again next Monday "for further technical work on some elements of the package".
They had gone into the negotiations Tuesday expressing confidence that an agreement would be reached to unblock the latest 31.2 billion euros ($40 billion) tranche of aid to Greece to help it avoid bankruptcy.
Crude had earlier Wednesday risen on "the American Petroleum Institute (API) report showing a stock drawdown", said Victor Shum, senior principal of Purvin and Gertz energy consultants in Singapore.
The API data Tuesday showed US inventories falling by more than 1.9 million barrels last week, compared with analyst projections of a 900,000 barrel gain.
This indicates a pickup in energy demand in the world's largest economy and oil consumer.
