Head of Russian Gas Firm Gazprom to Meet Greek Prime Minister Tsipras

By James Marson 

MOSCOW--The chief executive of Russian state gas firm OAO Gazprom will fly to Greece on Tuesday to meet with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, as Athens seeks an economic leg-up from Russia amid tensions with the European Union over much-needed financing.

Greece, which is locked in tough talks with European leaders on the extension of a bailout, has asked Russia for a discount on the price it pays for natural gas. Russian and Greek officials have also discussed Greece' participation in a gas pipeline intended to take Russian gas to the EU via Turkey.

Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller will meet with Mr. Tsipras on Tuesday, a spokesman for Gazprom said, declining to comment further on the trip.

Asked about a German news report that Russia could hand Greece EUR3 billion-EUR5 billion ($3.2 billion-$5.4 billion) in prepayments for the extension of the "Turkish Stream" pipeline, Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said, "For what? I don't understand what you're referring to."

Mr. Tsipras spent two days in Moscow earlier this month at the head of a government delegation, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticized EU sanctions against Russia. But the trip contained no public announcement of major economic deals, such as a cheaper gas price or a hoped-for exemption for Greek products from a Russian ban on European agricultural products.

Write to James Marson at [e-mail]

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