Valdai Club

Dimitri Simes

Alina Savelyeva

Vladimir Sazhin

Dmitry Streltsov

Randall Schweller

Vladimir Sotnikov

Patrick Seale

Pavel Sharikov

Maxim Suchkov

Marsel Salikhov

Russian Federation

Head of Economic Department, Institute of Energy and Finance.

Materials

Expert Opinions

Why Russia Should Avoid a Symmetrical Response to US Sanctions

Any response would likely boomerang on Russia – the partnership between Rosneft and ExxonMobil is a case in point. The United States has hit Russia with a third round of sanctions. This time the Americans went with a higher caliber weapon, targeting Russia’s biggest energy companies (Rosneft and Novatek) and banks (VEB and Gazprombank).

Expert Opinions

Introducing a Gas Prepayment System with Ukraine Is the Right Move

The key to resolving Russia-Ukraine gas disputes is to ensure the solvency of Naftogaz and Ukrainian consumers, but this is an unlikely scenario for the next two to three years.

Expert Opinions

Second Gas Exporting Countries Forum: Results and Prospects

The growth of shale gas market segment is an indirect threat to Russia, which has already materialized. Also European power plants are increasingly switching from gas to coal on the back of increased imports of cheap American coal.

Expert Opinions

The Sshale Gas Economy

Shale gas continues to provoke fierce debates and discussions, and has split the world into two opposing camps. The skeptics claim that this is yet another financial bubble that is bound to collapse sooner or later.

Expert Opinions

Trans-Caspian Project: Is a New Gas War On the Cards?

One of the most obvious obstacles to implementing the Trans-Caspian project is the undefined legal status of the Caspian Sea. Iran and Russia believe that construction of the pipeline cannot and must not begin before all five Caspian countries have signed a treaty on the legal status of the sea.

Expert Opinions

Bushehr-1 Ready. Will There Be Bushehr-2?

Although Bushehr is the most important project of Russian-Iranian economic cooperation, it is not the only one. In 2010, trade between the two countries exceeded $3.6 billion, out of which Russian exports accounted for $3.3 billion. Iran is Russia’s major trade partner in the Middle East.