GAZPROM, KOGAS expressed interest in further expanding their cooperation in the area of LNG and continuing their sci-tech collaboration.

GAZPROM, MITSUI discussed issues related to their cooperation, expressing appreciation for the Sakhalin II project, which turned 25 years old this year.

Profit attributable to owners of PJSC Gazprom amounted to RUB 836,497 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 which is by RUB 205,693 million, or 33%, more than for the same period of the prior year.

Gazprom’s share was around the average of the past three years, edging down by 1% from the previous year to 32%. But it was the first year-on-year drop since 2014-2015, when it was hit by low gas demand in Europe.

"Russian imports are expected to rise month on month in August," it said. "A significant amount of ESP sales for August delivery for both northwest Europe and Central and Eastern Europe is expected to counteract the effect of reduced contractual nominations."

The 1,230-km (765-mile) Nord Stream 2 pipeline, now under construction, has come under fire from the United States and several eastern European, Nordic and Baltic countries, which say the conduit will increase Europe’s reliance on Russian gas.

The new rules cast doubt over the commercial operation of Nord Stream 2, which argues that it has been unfairly targeted by fast-tracked legislation to stall the project.

Russia has said it wants to cut substantially its gas flows to Europe via West-leaning Ukraine by doubling the capacity of the existing Nord Stream trunk via the Baltic Sea and laying gas pipes to Turkey and onwards through the Black Sea.

Russia’s Gazprom, the world’s largest conventional gas producer, has raised about $2.20 billion from selling a 2.9% stake to a single buyer at a large discount to the market price.

Gazprom’s market value is $79.4 billion, second in Russia to Sberbank’s $82 billion, according to Refinitiv Eikon data.