** U.S. energy firms fall premarket, tracking decline in crude prices

** Brent crude futures LCOc1 down 1.5% at $59.67 a barrel; U.S. West Texas Intermediate $(WTI)$ crude CLc1 down 1.6% at $55.90 a barrel

** Prices fall as prospects for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal appear to strengthen, raising expectations of a potential easing of sanctions

** Oil majors Chevron CVX.N and Exxon Mobil XOM.N each down 0.4%

** Conocophillips COP.N and Occidental Petroleum OXY.N down ~1% and 0.8%, respectively

** Oilfield services firms: Halliburton HAL.N falls ~1%, Baker Hughes BKR.O down 0.8%

** Refiners HF Sinclair DINO.N and Par Pacific Holdings PARR.N each down ~1%

(Reporting by Pranav Mathur in Bengaluru)

((Pranav.Mathur@thomsonreuters.com;))