Russia and the Netherlands have 'serious plans' to increase their energy projects; Royal Dutch Shell is seeking involvement in the Yamal region. The oil giant has made a discovery of natural gas in the Norwegian Sea that could be the biggest in 12 years. Apparently oil firm Rosneft will not merge with Surgut. The company may enter into a joint project with Eni in Africa. Lukoil is set to buy a 45% stake in a Dutch refinery from Total, outfoxing US refiner Valero. Rosneft has significantly extended the powers of its board of directors and the government has voted Vladimir Bogdanov, head of rival oil company Surgutneftegaz, onto Rosneft's board, indicating intentions of a possible merger? Apparently the EU is worried about the stability of Russian gas and may give Kiev a loan. Arctic countries claim that cooperation will be prioritized in the disputed region, but military activity is rumbling. Bulgaria reportedly has a 'strong case' for receiving more compensation for closing two Soviet nuclear plants in 2006 to gain EU membership. Apparently Russian firms are using spies in the German energy sector to garner information about industry developments.
Energy Blast - June 22, 2009
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"Apparently the EU is worried about the stability of Russian gas and may give Kiev a loan."
LOL! It has been clear for years that Ukraine is a dependency, being incapable of paying their energy bills without subsidy. We'll see how long the EU tolerates having to pay Ukraine's gas bill.
So was Russia in Yeltsin's time. Ukraine has enormous potential. Whether it will be realized or not remains to be seen; Ukrainian politicians until now don't look like good working material. Europe may very well regret footing Ukraine's bill... but maybe it would regret even more not having done that in the long run. Frankly, weren't you complaining about how the world forgot about Russia when Russia was in dire straights? What would you have said to someone who claimed, during the "time of troubles" in the '90s: "LOL! It has been clear for years that Russia is incapable of paying their bills without external help. We'll see how long the EU/US tolerates having to pay Russia's bills."
It's bad to despise a country and dismiss it outright -- be it Russia or Ukraine.
"What would you have said to someone who claimed, during the "time of troubles" in the '90s: "LOL! It has been clear for years that Russia is incapable of paying their bills without external help. We'll see how long the EU/US tolerates having to pay Russia's bills.""
I would have called them out on the facts. Throughout the 1990s, Russia had a trade and current account surplus. Nobody paid Russia's bills during the 1990s but Russia. Indeed, Russia managed this while supporting Ukraine with massive energy subsidies. So, I would have done nothing other than what I have done here, laid out the facts.