Crude oil futures were fluctuating near fresh three-year highs Thursday morning in European trade, as market jitters over a confrontation between Russia and the US in Syria largely outweighed bearish crude stocks data out of the US. At 1030 GMT, June ICE Brent crude futures were trading at $71.59/b, down 44 cents from Tuesday’s settlement, after hitting its highest since November 2014 earlier in the morning. The NYMEX May WTI contract was down 16 cents at $66.56/b. “You can point the finger at Donald Trump for the rally [this week],” said Tamas Varga, an analyst at PVM Oil Associates in a morning note. “The suspected chemical attack in Syria is putting the two superpowers in direct conflict and the consequences could be very serious.” The market is watching to see whether tensions will heat up further after US President Donald Trump warned Russia in a tweet Wednesday to “get ready” for missile attacks on Syria.