NATO warns of Russia gas power

Russia may be building up a gas cartel from north Africa to central Asia to use as a political weapon when dealing with Europe, NATO experts have warned.

Russia – which supplies a quarter of Europe's gas – is aiming to form an alliance with Algeria, Libya, Qatar, central Asia and maybe Iran, which would give them power over the gas market, an internal study by NATO's economic committee has said.

That would strengthen Moscow's hand in relations with Europe and particularly with neighbours such as Ukraine and Georgia, which Moscow wants to dissuade from moving closer to western bodies like NATO and the EU, sources that have seen the report told Reuters on Tuesday (14 November).

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