Novatek’s Chief Financial Officer Mark Gyetvay said the company would build all equipment and technology in Russia to protect itself. “We will not hold ourselves hostage to U.S. sanctions,” he told the IP Week conference in London.

МИНФИН РОССИИ - Знаете, все уже устали, наверное, от санкций — первое. Второе: мы уже не первый раз с ними сталкиваемся и примерно понимаем, как на них реагировать, и подготовили определенную базу. Следующее: мы говорим о том, что даже если будут введены санкции на финансовый сектор, с ЦБ у нас есть понимание действий, которые нужно совершить в отношении банков, попавших под ограничения.

REUTERS - Russia's planned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline direct to Germany is set to face EU market rules after negotiators agreed informally to change the EU's gas directive to apply to offshore gas links, the European Commission said late Tuesday.

PLATTS - "Imports of Russian crude oil and LNG do not go through any chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz. Therefore they are important for the diversification of Japan's energy import sources, and I hope that Russia will play an even larger role. I would like to continue working to expand our cooperation," Seko said.

REUTERS - Nord Stream 2 has divided the EU, with German opposition to the new draft rules stalling discussions since it was proposed by the EU executive in November 2017.

REUTERS - The pipeline project, which is majority owned by Russian energy giant Gazprom, plans to tap lenders this year, a spokesman for Nord Stream 2 told Reuters. He did not comment on the risk of new sanctions.

REUTERS - Global ratings agency Moody’s Investor Service raised Russia’s rating to investment grade on Friday, saying the policies enacted in recent years will strengthen the country’s already robust public finances.

МИНЭКОНОМРАЗВИТИЯ РОССИИ - Комментируя ситуацию во внешней торговле, руководитель ведомства призвал отвлечься от "шума" в СМИ и сконцентрироваться на статистике. "Если вы посмотрите на отношения с Европой, отбросив в сторону то, что пишут в газетах, и обратите внимание на цифры, вы увидите, что торговый оборот между нами за последние годы вырос на десятки процентов. Импорт из Европы в Россию за последние несколько лет вырос на 40%", - сказал глава российской делегации. Не менее успешно, по его словам, развиваются экономические отношения России с Китаем, Японией, странами Юго-Восточной Азии и Персидского залива.

REUTERS - Germany will try to protect German and European companies from some potentially “massive collateral damage” if Washington levies further sanctions against Russia, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.

REUTERS - Threatening to impose U.S. sanctions on companies involved in the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline is unacceptable, the head of Austria’s OMV, which has a stake in the project, told Germany’s Handelsblatt.

REUTERS - The United States has warned German companies involved in the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that they could face sanctions if they stick with the project.

REUTERS - U.S. sanctions against the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline would be the wrong way to solve a dispute over energy supply, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday.

PLATTS - The US has long opposed the Nord Stream expansion, arguing that Europe should not be so dependent on Moscow for energy. The government has recently been touting US LNG exports as an alternative to Russian gas, in addition to supporting the Southern Gas Corridor from the Caspian region to the EU.

BLOOMBERG - The $11 billion pipeline is one of three giant projects helping the world’s biggest gas producer strengthen its grip on Europe and Asia. Thousands of miles to the east, the Power of Siberia pipeline will connect with China, and a project under the Black Sea will deliver fuel to Turkey and southeast Europe.

PLATTS - Ukraine is looking at different ways to use its vast gas transit network should Kiev fail to agree a new transit deal with Russia's Gazprom once their existing contract expires at the end of 2019, a senior Ukrainian politician said.