Russian push for pipeline to Europe raises doubt

In northern Russia, where vast deposits of natural gas lie waiting to be tapped, Gazprom, the state-owned Russian energy giant, is hatching a multibillion-dollar strategy that would lock a swath of Europe from Germany to Britain into long-term delivery contracts, a move that would bypass Ukraine and Belarus and anchor Russia to Europe more closely over time.
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Gazprom has been seeking European partners to pay for a new underwater pipeline – originating near St. Petersburg and going to Germany, and then potentially continuing on to Britain – at an estimated cost of $8 billion to $10 billion.
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IHT