E.ON, Germany's largest utility, reported an 8% rise in first-quarter core earnings, after the group secured better gas prices from Russian supplier Gazprom.
The United States is "deeply" concerned about the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project as a threat to national security. Many EU governments complain it increases dependency on Russia's Gazprom.
Russian giant Rosneft is aiming to expand its list of strategic partners in Asia via Indonesia, seeking to accelerate the already initiated sale of assets to Indian companies.
The center-right European Peoples' Party (EPP), the largest group in the European Parliament, has taken a strong position against Russia's Nord Stream-2 project.
Two Chinese state banks have agreed to lend more than $12b to develop a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant in the Russian Arctic, in a boost for one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s flagship projects.
Russia exported 6.8m ton of crude oil to China in the first quarter of this year, First Deputy Energy Minister Kirill Molodtsov said, adding that the ministry expects more growth.
The head of the Oil Industry and Markets Division at the International Energy Agency (IEA) told CNBC that he believed both Russia and Saudi Arabia will continue to "pump as much oil as possible."
Kuwait has plans to purchase up to 1.5m metric tons of LNG from Russia on an annual basis, according to Deputy Managing Director of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), Nasser Abdullah Saleh.
Russian oil producer Rosneft is interested in oil and gas projects in Iran, according to the Energy Minister, Alexander Novak. However, the Minister added that "It is too early to talk about any concrete plans as Iran".
Crude oil prices jumped on 12th April and closed at 2016 highs after reports that Saudi Arabia and Russia have reached an agreement on an oil-production freeze.