Europe and Russia are each trying to diversify—the first by getting more gas suppliers, and the second by trying to sell more gas to China and East Asia.

India is replacing China as the center of the world’s oil demand growth as its economy expands faster than any other major country and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made energy security a priority for the nation, which imports 80 percent of its oil requirements.

Europe’s leaders have long been hoping that U.S. shale gas would help the bloc reduce its reliance on gas from Russia, which provides around a third of the region’s supplies. The ethane from Ineos’s shipment won’t be a substitute for Russian gas, which is mostly methane, but it will help to lower prices in the European market, said Karen Sund, partner at Norway-based Sund Energy consultancy.

“The US has sought to work with Europe to lessen Europe's dependence on Russian energy and, particularly, gas supplies to weaken Russian leverage to use that gas supply for political purposes and has enjoyed some success, and this has been a cooperative venture. Three administrations working in the same direction, many of the same assumptions and people.”

This supply growth, with ebbs and flows, is likely to continue. The Russian medium- to long-term optimism is that gas will be a growth fuel – a clean, adaptable C02-light fuel that could replace coal across the world into the 2020s.

China's total oil imports rose about 20 percent on year to the highest ever on a daily basis in February, when near 10-year low global oil prices drove buying from a group of new importers and for state and commercial stockpiling.

OAO NOVATEK announced the closing of a transaction to sell a 9.9% equity stake in the Yamal LNG project (“Project”) to China’s Silk Road Fund (“SRF”) for a payment amounting to EUR 1,087 million.

Israel and Russia are about to agree upon a modus operandi in the East Mediterranean concerning weapons and natural gas deals, several Israeli media reports indicate. According to various assessments, the bottom line of such an agreement would be that Israel will not sell natural gas to Turkey and, in return, Russia won't supply S-300 anti-aircraft missiles and other advanced weapon systems to Iran and other regional enemies of Israel.

Exploiting its proximity to northern Asia and the collapse of the rouble against the U.S. dollar, Russia has become the fastest growing oil supplier to Asia at a time when Middle East exporters are distracted by internal strife and competition from U.S. shale producers.

Central to Russia’s priorities is maintaining stable energy supplies both internally and to its external markets and customers. This goes hand-in-hand with energy security, availability and affordability and of course to ensure stability of demand. The 2030 target is to maintain a 10% share of global oil trade and 20% of natural gas.