The chief executive of Russian state-owned OAO Gazprom pushed a plan Tuesday to sell its natural gas to the European Union via Greece, but made no public offers of immediate sweeteners during a visit to cash-strapped Athens. OAO Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said in a statement that the company could guarantee annual shipments of 47 billion cubic meters of gas via Greece. He said Greece could raise commercial loans against the guaranteed deliveries. Greece, which is in difficult talks with European leaders over much-needed financing, is hoping for an economic boost from Russia, such as cheaper natural gas supplies or an exemption from Moscow’s ban on European food imports. But there have been no major agreements despite a two-day trip by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to Moscow earlier this month, where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticized the EU’s sanctions policy against Russia over the Ukrainian […]