Russia's reputation 'damaged' by oil dispute

Russia’s trade minister acknowledged today that his country’s reputation suffered as a result of the oil duty dispute with Belarus that disrupted supplies to Europe.

German Gref, who took part in top-level negotiations that concluded late last night, said it will take years for Russia to overcome European fears about Moscow’s dependability as an energy supplier, which had already been damaged by last year’s price dispute with Ukraine. That dispute also resulted in temporary shortages of Russian gas to European customers.