Russia briefing, July 1

-Russia eyes OPEC meeting in Vienna

Russia, one of the world's largest oil producers, will very closely follow the meetings of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna on Monday and Tuesday this week. 

OPEC and non-OPEC participating members to the oil cut pact are due to take a new decision on the oil production cut.

The latest statement regarding Russia’s position came from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

During his press conference after the G20 summit in Japan, Putin said that he discussed the OPEC agreement with his Saudi counterparts. 

'I and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman agreed to extend the current version of the agreement. Russia and Saudi Arabia will propose an extension of the agreement by six or even nine months,' Putin said.

As per Putin’s statement, the deal extension now looks likely based on the current volume cuts for the next nine months.

-Gazprom expects cash flow from its strategic projects 

The president of Russian energy company Gazprom, Alexey Miller, made a positive statement on the company’s financial capital on Friday with comments that the company focused on the development of strategic projects last year. 'With the commissioning of projects like TurkStream, Nord Stream 2 and Power of Siberia, our cash flow will increase from the operational activities.' 

Miller also said the construction of the Nord Stream 2 project, which plans to carry Russian gas to Germany, is progressing on schedule.