From the first day of the summit of EU leaders in Brussels, the message resonated loudly: there seems to be one single front against Russia and toward the creation of the Energy Union, while a widespread criticism over the European approach to the Greek saga emerged amid tensions.

Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman is preparing to sell a dozen North Sea gasfields at the heart of a fierce row over ownership, in a move that would avert a high-profile legal battle with the UK government.

As the West tightened its grip on Russia with sanctions, particularly in energy, following the annexation of Crimea last year, the European Union is trying to expand its cooperation to counter Russia's dominant position in energy sector.

Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman’s investment fund said Wednesday it sent a “detailed response” to U.K. government objections to its deal to take over offshore natural-gas fields amid a period of icy relations between Moscow and the West.

The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday approved a bigger, high-risk bailout for Ukraine, giving Kiev immediate access to $5 billion of $17.5 billion in emergency IMF credit in another bid to keep the embattled country afloat.

Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman began building an international energy company on Monday, closing a €5.1 billion ($5.7 billion) purchase of German utility RWE AG ’s oil-and-gas business over British opposition that could force the sale of the unit’s U.K. assets.

Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman said on Monday he would buy a number of gas licenses in the North Sea despite British opposition, threatening legal action if London should force him to sell them on to a third party.

John Browne, the former chief executive of BP, will take charge of a $10 billion oil and gas venture backed by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman to help it expand internationally through partnerships and acquisitions, the Financial Times reported.

The UK has blocked the sale of North Sea gasfields from Germany’s RWE to a multibillion-dollar investment fund backed by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman.

Exxon Mobil Corp said spending will decline about 11 percent this year to around $34 billion due to plunging oil prices, according to a regulatory filing this week.