Russian President Vladimir Putin made a brief visit to Berlin Thursday to oversee the signing of a German-Russian gas pipeline agreement.

The pipeline, which was to be built from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, will "ensure German energy supplies from Russia over decades ahead," said German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

It would boost the struggling German economy and employment, he added.

Putin, for his side, described the project as "impressive."

He said the initial pipeline would have a length of 1,200 km, including branches to Finland and Sweden. It would be extended to 2,000 km in the final phase with a branch to Britain via the Netherlands.

The cost would be 2 billion US dollars for the initial phase, and the whole project would cost 5.7 billion dollars, Putin said, adding it would be pumping 55 billion cubic meters a year by 2011.

Source: Xinhua