A cat and mouse game is on between Europe and Russia over gas supplies as the continent switches into the winter heating season.

What does the energy future hold for Europe amid the Ukraine crisis? Can the US LNG and shale gas become alternative for the Russian Gazprom gas in Europe? Is Russia to play the Gazprom card on the continent during the approaching heating season?

Hungarian oil group MOL is reasonably confident that its crude supplies from Russia will not be disrupted by the Ukraine conflict because its Russian partners are reputable companies, the head of its downstream business said.

Russia, Ukraine and the European Union moved closer to sealing the deal, with European Commissioner Günther Oettinger announcing on Friday that there is a high probability of signing a binding interim agreement by the end of next week.

"The lifting of sanctions on Iran would be a game changer for world gas market," said Dr Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli, secretary general of the Gas Exproting Countries Forum, Zawya news website has reported.

After Exxon Mobil Corp. mounted a campaign to warn U.S. officials that prematurely halting work with Russian oil giant Rosneft on an exploratory oil well could foul the Arctic, the Obama administration last week gave the company a two-week reprieve from sanctions on Russia.

Qatar has no plans to pitch in as an alternative supplier as Europe seeks to reduce its reliance on Russian gas according to the country's energy minister, AFP has reported.

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