Russia needs this China deal very badly because it needs to signal to [Brussels] and to some EU nations that it's taking a step that's economically profitable and that it's found a new market for its gas," said Shamil Yenikeyeff, a research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.Even if Russian and Chinese officials agree on a price to secure future gas supplies, the fortunes of Gazprom are likely to remain deeply interwoven in the European market.