Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin expressed doubts about the ambitious Nabucco gas pipeline project that bypasses Russia, saying it required several transit states as well as Iran's involvement.
"As for other routes, I have nothing against them," Putin told reporters at a news conference with his Hungarian counterpart Ferenc Gyurcsany, whose country depends heavily on Russia for gas supplies.
"But Nabucco won't reduce the number of transit countries but increase them. Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia. But even that isn't enough as Nabucco can't be carried out unless Iran joins the project," he said.
Iran has the second largest gas reserves in the world after Russia but so far has not realized its potential as an exporter due to its international isolation and huge domestic demand.
The Nabucco gas pipeline project is aimed at piping gas from Central Asia between Turkey and Austria from the Caspian Sea to western Europe, bypassing both Russia and Ukraine.