Gazprom seals big gas deals in Europe despite Ukraine crisis

Russia's Gazprom has bolstered its industrial presence in the heart of Europe with two major gas deals. Reuters

FRANKFURT/MILAN: Russia's Gazprom has bolstered its industrial presence in the heart of Europe with two major gas deals that were announced on Friday despite ongoing tensions with Moscow over the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The first of the deals, an asset swap with German chemicals group BASF that gives Russia greater access to gas trading and storage in Germany, was a surprise as the companies had abandoned it only nine months ago, citing a "difficult political environment".