Putin ratifies gas supply deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ratified a gas supply agreement with China via the so-called Eastern route.

"The agreement is aimed at strengthening Russian-Chinese energy cooperation, and defines the main terms of the natural gas supply from Russia to China, including the cross-border section of the gas pipeline across the Amur River (the Heilong River in China) near Blagoveshchensk (capital of the Amur region in the Russian Far East) and China's border city of Heihe," an online official statement said.

The agreement was passed on April 24 by parliament's lower house, or the State Duma, and approved by the upper chamber, the Federation Council, five days later.