Every year the addicted to Russian gas imports post-Soviet European states declare the ambition to find alternative to Gazprom. However, if earlier the pitch was mainly about buying the LNG from the Caspian region, Middle East, North Africa and even the U.S., now the talk has largely shifted to statements on using the own unconventional - primarily shale - gas resources. Even partial realization of these plans would mean erosion of Kremlin's political influence on the Eastern Europe, exacerbated by Russia losing a significant part of export earnings.
展开▼
