Reuters: Ukraine gas bypass deal a "betrayal"-Slovak PM
* Ukraine could lose billions, Slovakia hundreds of millions euros (Adds quotes, background, details)
BRATISLAVA, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Thursday called a deal between Russia's Gazprom and its European partners to expand the Nordstream gas pipeline a "betrayal" that would cost Ukraine and Slovakia a combined billions of euros in transit fees.
Last week, Gazprom and its European partners signed a shareholders' agreement on the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project that will bypass Ukraine and run beneath the Baltic Sea to Europe, bringing Europe closer into Moscow's energy orbit.
Gazprom signed the deal with Germany's E.ON and BASF/Wintershall, Austria's OMV, ENGIE of France and Royal Dutch Shell. It stipulates that new pipeline capacity from Russia will come online in 2019.
Update: Ukraine, Slovakia Condemn Russian Gas Pipeline Project -- AP
WNU Editor: The Russian gas giant has made the decision to cut out the "middle man". For Ukraine .... the loss in transit revenues alone will be in the billions.
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