KIEV, Nov. 30 - The increase in prices for Turkmen gas for Gazprom is a consequence of the intensifying battle for energy resources and routes for their delivery between Russia on one hand and the European Union and United States on the other, Viacheslav Butko, the chief analyst at the Energy Research Center in Kiev, said.

"Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov is a pragmatic politician who will try to negotiate a better price offer from Russia using his contacts with the EU, the U.S. and China as a threat. At stake is the existing contract base for Gazprom's purchases of Turkmen natural gas to the year 2028 and Turkmenistan participation or non-participation in pipeline projects without taking into account Russia's interests," Butko said.