Russia could give Greece advance funds for future gas project - Greek official

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is considering soon giving Greece funds based on future profits Athens could earn from shipping Russian gas to Europe as part of an extension of the Turkish Stream pipeline, a Greek government official said on Wednesday. The extension to Turkish Stream, which has yet to be finalised and would take Russian gas from Turkey to Europe via Greece, might also mean Athens would pay less for Russian gas, the official said. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras voiced interest in the project in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday. Tsipras' government, at loggerheads with its euro zone and International Monetary Fund creditors, risks running out of money within weeks unless it can reach a new cash-for-reform deal. The Greek government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Greece would pay back the Russian prepayment after the pipeline started operating, without specifying a sum. The official said the project would involve private financing and would comply with European Union rules. Putin told a news conference with Tsipras that the two leaders had reached no concrete agreements on Greece's participation in the Turkish Stream project and that its involvement depended on the Greek government. He said, however, that Greece stood to gain hundreds of millions of euros each year in transit fees if an extension to Turkish Stream was built. Tsipras' visit to Moscow caused unease among some EU partners that Greece could break ranks over economic sanctions on Russia to secure aid or use the trip to pressure its EU allies to release financing. (Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by John Stonestreet)