Putin condemns EU’s Gazprom probe

VLADIVOSTOK: President Vladimir Putin on Sunday condemned as "unconstructive", an EU anti-trust probe against Russian energy giant Gazprom, saying Moscow was no longer prepared to subsidize eastern
Europe.

Talking to reporters on the final day of the annual APEC summit in the Pacific port of Vladivostok after the EU Commission's decision to probe Gazprom over concerns it is hindering competition in central and eastern European gas markets, Putin said that according to their assessment, this approach was unconstructive,"

He said that they regretted that this was happening and hoped this situation can be handled without losses for any side, through a business-like and well-meaning dialogue."

The Russian premier was of the view that the probe was aimed at making Moscow help ease the European Union out of its economic crisis by making it sell struggling eastern European economies cheap energy.

The EU said earlier this week it had launched the probe over concerns that Gazprom is hindering competition in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia.(AFP)