However, this does not mean that the scheduled meeting on Friday can be dismissed as irrelevant and a waste of time.
At the very least, each side in the dispute over market-share versus per barrel price will want to look the other in the eye to gauge resolve.
A great deal has happened in the energy sector since Saudi Arabia last year effectively encouraged a downward trend in prices in its stated policy of favouring preservation of market share against encroaching threats from the US shale industry — which has arguably fought off much of the challenge by lowering its costs.
Russia
