MOSCOW, May 19 (UPI) -- On May 14 Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered the construction of the second stage of the Baltic Pipeline System (BPS-2), an offshoot of the Druzhba pipeline built in Soviet times to pump oil to Europe through Belarus and terminals in the Baltic countries.

BPS-2, which will run across Russia to the port of Ust-Luga on the Gulf of Finland, is Putin's way to enhance Europe's energy security.

Russia has opted to develop its own infrastructure for transporting hydrocarbons to Western Europe, bypassing former Soviet transit countries. The main goal is to protect Russia and its partners from the transit countries' possible decisions to raise tariffs or siphon off hydrocarbons.

Russia appears to be ready to pay as much as necessary to guarantee that oil and gas consumers in Western Europe receive commodities in full and on time.

This is why it is advocating the Nord Stream pipeline along the Baltic Sea bed and the South Stream project across the Black Sea. BPS-2 is one more route for delivering Russian oil to Western Europe bypassing transit countries.