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Putin holds talks with EU

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met the head of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels on Thursday. Putin is in Brussels with half his government for talks on energy and the crisis in north Africa.

Reuters/Thierry Roge
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Putin is joined on his visit by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and the ministers for finance, trade and agriculture.

They arrived in Brussels as Europe looks at the impact of the uprising in Libya on its oil supplies.

Russia provides 30 per cent of European gas imports. No new formal agreements are due to be signed between the EU and Russia.

Gas pipelines, rising prices and Russian accusations of EU protectionism were due to form the core of their discussions, according to Vladimir Chizhov, Russian ambassador to the EU.

The issue of human rights in Russia is formally off the agenda, Chizhov added, though if it comes up, he said Russia will point to the situation of non-citizens in the EU, as a counter-example.

Lavarov is due to meet EU foreign relations chief Catherine Ashton and Putin will meet EU president Herman Van Rompuy on Thursday afternoon.

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