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

• Gazprom and the EU: Gazprom-PGNiG gas price talks at ‘an advanced stage’; Gazprom and Eni pledge to continue close cooperation; Calm before the storm: Gazprom Deputy Chairman meets EU Competition Commissioner, with Gazprom due to reply to EU antimonopoly ‘Statement of Objections’ by the 28th of September
• Nord Stream: OMV CEO Seele confident of EU approval for Nord Stream II, meets with Gazprom CEO Miller to discuss joint venture for the project
• Turkish Stream: Stop and go – Russia and Turkey continue trading proposals, but real progress not expected until formation of new Turkish government in November; SE European Foreign Ministers could meet in September to discuss the ‘Tesla’ extension to Turkish Stream
• Ukraine: EU Commissioner for Energy Union meets with Ukrainian Energy Minister and Naftogaz CEO, and plans meeting with Russian Energy Minister in September ahead of next round of trilateral talks; Gazprom CEO expresses concerns over Naftogaz winter gas storage
• Belarus: Gazprom begins construction of Gazprom Centre in Minsk, set to be ‘the tallest building in Belarus’
• Asia: Shell participation in Sakhalin-III in doubt as US imposes sanctions on the project; Gazprom reports ‘good dynamics’ in ongoing negotiations with PetroChina and CNPC over pipeline deliveries of Russian gas to China, despite concerns over the commercial viability of the projects
• Other: Gazprom’s annual gas production could reach record low in 2015, as the company also cuts its sales price forecast

• September 8, 2015

Joining the dots and making sense of the key Geopolitical developments in Europe, Eurasia and MENA
By George Vlad NICULESCU, Head of Research, European Geopolitical Forum

• America’s acquiescence to Russian military involvement in Syria may reflect a fundamental change in US regional strategy in the Middle East.
• The Russian bet on Syria makes a broad-based political compromise on the governance of post-conflict Syria more necessary than ever.
• The stalemate in implementing Minsk 2 epitomizes the Ukrainian Donbas dilemma: bring Donetsk and Luhansk back into the fold of a federal state, or keep them out, as contested territories.
• The Iranian nuclear deal has brought both good and bad news, while Middle Eastern geopolitics is in full swing.
• The Nord Stream 2 corporate agreement: an interesting business opportunity likely to be mired with geopolitical concerns in Central-Eastern Europe and beyond.

• September 8, 2015

The United States has asked Greece to deny Russia the use of its airspace for supply flights to Syria, a Greek official said on Monday, after Washington told Moscow it was deeply concerned by reports of a Russian military build up in Syria.

• September 7, 2015

Issue # 71
09/07/2015
Three National Guard officers were killed after a grenade was thrown from a crowd protesting against the changes to the constitution.
Media have reported that Russia might have changed its position on Donbass. READ MORE

• September 7, 2015

Secretary of State John Kerry told his Russian counterpart on Saturday the United States was deeply concerned about reports that Moscow was moving toward a major military build-up in Syria widely seen as aimed at bolstering President Bashar al-Assad.

• September 6, 2015

Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers, meeting in Copenhagen on Thursday, called on Russia to immediately release an Estonian policeman who they say was "abducted" from his country and jailed for 15 years in a case that violated international law.

• September 3, 2015

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China produced a clutch of new deals on Thursday, but failed to secure funding for vital infrastructure projects, underscoring the limits to a relationship Moscow casts as a counterweight to the West.

• September 3, 2015

Russia staged a military parade on Wednesday to commemorate seizing a group of Pacific islands from Japan at the end of World War Two, a move likely to inflame tensions over a long-running territorial dispute with Tokyo.

• September 2, 2015