Russia Profile: Carrots and sticks
Customs Union member Belarus will not lose out on the gas transit fees it collects from Russia even as gas begins to flow through a major new pipeline connecting Russia and the European Union. In what must be a relief to the cash-strapped nation, Russian gas monopoly Gazprom gave assurances yesterday that it will not cut back on gas transit via Belarus after Tuesday's launch of the Nord Stream pipeline. Russia has made no secret of the fact that the purpose of building the 760-mile underwater pipeline is to bypass “transit-countries” like Ukraine, Belarus and Poland and deliver gas directly to an estimated 26 million European consumers.
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