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Russian and EU leaders are gathering in the Siberian city of Khanty-Mansiysk - the first such summit since Dmitry Medvedev became Russian president.
The city is at the heart of Russia's oil boom - more than 4,000km (2,500 miles) from Brussels.
The two-day summit will launch negotiations on a new partnership and co-operation agreement.
Energy supplies are a key issue, with the EU getting about a quarter of its natural gas from Russia.
Russia is the EU's third biggest trading partner - half of Russian exports go to the 27-nation bloc.
Vladimir Putin, Mr Medvedev's predecessor in the Kremlin, and now Russia's prime minister, is not expected to attend the summit.
The EU delegation will be headed by Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. The European Commission says it wants the new partnership agreement to establish "a level playing field for energy relations".
Russia's previous gas rows with its former Soviet neighbours - especially Ukraine - have made Europe nervous, the BBC's James Rodgers reports from Moscow.
According to the commission, the summit talks will also cover financial market stability, the rise of sovereign wealth funds, climate change, energy security and the current food crisis.
(BBC)
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