U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that core sanctions against Iran would remain in place despite its interim nuclear deal with world powers.

• December 5, 2013

A Snapshot of Key Developments in the External Relations of the Russian Gas Sector
By Jack Sharples, EGF Associate Researcher on the external dimensions of Russian gas and Lecturer in Energy Politics at the European University of St Petersburg

Key points:

• Russian Parliament approves government bill to liberalise Russia’s LNG exports
• Gazprom’s gas exports to Europe to hit five-year high in 2013
• Novatek emerges as a new supplier of Russian gas to Europe by signing LNG contract with Spanish Fenosa
• Gazprom-Lithuania dispute reaches Court of Justice of the European Union
• Gazprom warns Europe over Ukrainian gas transit this winter, as Naftogaz Ukraine briefly suspends gas purchases from Gazprom in mid-November and Ukraine fails to sign an Association Agreement with the EU
• Gazprom starts work on Serbian section of South Stream
• Gazprom representatives remain confident that Gazprom will conclude a contract with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) before the end of 2013
• Gazprom founds joint venture with PetroVietnam for the development of gas as a transportation fuel
• Tug-of-war over Severenergia symbolic of the competition between Rosneft, Gazprom, and Novatek

• December 5, 2013

China's Foreign Ministry made a noncommittal response on Wednesday to a query whether Beijing would provide any more aid to Ukraine, as President Viktor Yanukovich arrived in the country from his crisis-torn homeland.

• December 4, 2013

Rising prices and an economic slowdown helped drive President Vladimir Putin's public approval rating to its lowest level in more than 13 years last month, a Russian polling agency said on Tuesday.

• December 4, 2013

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan near Moscow and discussed the war in Syria and Iran's nuclear program, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

• December 4, 2013

Hundreds of people marched through the capital of Armenia on Monday to denounce visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin and protest against plans to join a Moscow-led customs union.

• December 3, 2013

Embattled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich flew to China on Tuesday, leaving behind a country in turmoil over his decision to spurn a landmark accord with the European Union under Russian pressure.

• December 3, 2013

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich will head to China on Tuesday looking for loans and investment, despite the massive protests unleashed by his decision not to sign a trade pact with the European Union.

• December 3, 2013