Putin Says Nord Stream 2 is Purely Economic Project
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was a purely economic project, as he met the head of German chemicals group BASF.
Russia's Gazprom has formed a consortium with BASF and other firms for the new pipeline, which some European governments say risks increasing reliance on shipments from Russia, benefiting Germany but undermining unity in the European Union on energy issues.
The pipeline "has a purely economic character. The project is not directed against partners," Putin told BASF Chairman Kurt Bock.
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Alessandra Prentice)
