Novak holds talks with Saudi's al-Naimi on output freeze

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak held talks with Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi on freezing oil output, the energy ministry's spokesperson told Reuters.

The spokesperson provided no other details. Leading oil producers including Russia and Saudi Arabia are to meet in Qatar on April 17 to discuss an output freeze to support oil prices.

Novak also said that any deal signed in Doha, capital of Qatar, this month may speed up the rebalancing of global oil markets by three to six months.