Join +750K new investors every month who copy stock picks from billionaire's portfoliosSign Up Free

Gazprom CEO Miller is not on Putin's trip to China, Gazprom says

Published 16/05/2024, 10:10 pm
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 12, 2019. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo
GAZP
-

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Gazprom (MCX:GAZP) CEO Alexei Miller was not on Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China because he was holding talks with the Iranian leadership, the world's biggest natural gas company said on Thursday.

Gazprom, which holds about 16% of global gas reserves and employs hundreds of thousands of people, was once one of Russia's most powerful corporate empires - so powerful it was known as a state within the state.

But the loss of much of the European market due to Russia's war in Ukraine has hit it hard.

"Alexei Miller held talks with the Iranian leadership on the dates of Putin's visit to China," Gazprom said.

It was not immediately clear what else Miller, 62, a close ally of Putin who has run Gazprom since 2001, was talking to Iran about.

Gazprom said on Wednesday that Miller was on a working visit to Iran, a major producer of natural gas, where Miller met Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber and Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji.

Gazprom's gas exports to Europe have fallen to post Soviet-lows amid political fallout from the war in Ukraine and after the major Nord Stream pipelines were damaged by mysterious blasts.

Gazprom plunged to a net loss of 629 billion roubles ($6.9 billion) in 2023, its first annual loss in more than 20 years, amid dwindling gas trade with Europe, once its main sales market.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 12, 2019. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo

Russia has been in talks for years about building the Power of Siberia-2 pipeline to carry 50 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year from the Yamal region in northern Russia to China via Mongolia.

Its capacity would be almost as much as the now idle Nord Stream 1 pipeline under the Baltic Sea that was damaged by explosions in 2022.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.