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 LONDON (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged Tuesday to be Europe's reliable partner as an oil supplier and hailed an agreement on visas as a step toward free travel between his country and the European Union.
At a news conference with Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, Putin said Russian oil met a third of European demand.
"Russia has constantly been augmenting her supply of oil, helping the world economy, including Europe, by constraining prices," he said after an EU-Russia summit in central London. "Without the contribution of Russia to the energy effort, prices would have been much higher."
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