How Russia uses natural gas as a means of political leverage

Moscow, Istanbul For the Serbian President Alexandar Vucic, the trip to Sochi, Russia, was worth it. There, at the end of November, Russian President Vladimir Putin received him for gas negotiations.

Putin was patronizing: he knows that there will be elections in Serbia in April. And he appreciates what Vucic has done for Russian-Serbian relations. At the same time, the Kremlin chief assured that the countries would find “a solution to the gas price that is acceptable to our Serbian friends”.

Putin hadn’t lied. The subsequently negotiated price of $ 270 per 1,000 cubic meters – valid at least for the next half of the year – will not only bring Serbia safely through the winter, but should also pass as an election gift for Vucic, as it sparked cheers in Belgrade. No wonder, given that Gazprom had offered a contract extension for $ 790 in October.