"MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin said Monday that he would scrap Russia’s South Stream gas pipeline, a grandiose project that was once intended to establish the country’s dominance in southeastern Europe but instead fell victim to Russia’s increasingly toxic relationship with the West.

It was a rare diplomatic defeat for Mr. Putin, who said Russia would redirect the pipeline to Turkey. He painted the failure to build the pipeline as a loss for Europe and blamed Brussels for its intransigence.

The decision also seemed to be a rare victory for the European Union and the Obama administration, which have appeared largely impotent this year as Mr. Putin annexed Crimea and stirred rebellion in eastern Ukraine."

Andrew Roth reports for the New York Times December 1, 2014. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"South Stream: Russia's 'Nyet' And the Pipeline To Nowhere" (Christian Science Monitor) [3]

"Putin’s Surprise Call to Scrap South Stream Gas Pipeline Leaves Europe Reeling" (New York Times) [4]