You're reading: Putin: UK could join Nord Stream

Russia and the United Kingdom are in talks over the UK's participation in Nord Stream, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.

"We have begun talks over the possibility of the UK joining Nord Stream and gradually becoming our gas importer. We also have other projects, very serious ones, and I hope that our trade and economic ties and others elements of other cooperation will expand," Putin said at a meeting with foreign media editors-in-chief.

At the moment "the level of [UK-Russian] economic relations is bad" because trade is just $16 billion, whereas trade with Germany, for example, stands at $72 billion.

He flatly disagreed with the opinion of one meeting attendee that his attitude toward the UK is negative, which could be the reason why he does not want to go London for the Olympics.

"This is just total nonsense. Why would I have bad relations with London?" he said, adding that he had quite good relations with former Prime Minister Tony Blair and enjoyed his London visits, Putin said.

Myself or Dmitry Medvedev will definitely come to London to watch the Olympics this summer, the Russian prime minister said.