UPDATE 1-Putin to discuss joint projects with GDF Suez

(Adds background)

MOSCOW, July 27 (Reuters) - Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will meet executives of French energy major GDF Suez (GSZ.PA) on Tuesday to discuss joint projects, Putin's spokesman said on Monday.

"It will be a working meeting ... GDF Suez is a company with which we are discussing joint projects," Dmitry Peskov said, declining to elaborate.

Russia has drastically limited foreign access to its energy resources under Putin's presidency between 2000 and 2008 but the financial crisis has prompted a strategy change.

Russian energy groups have strained financial resources to develop new untapped fields in remote and challenging regions and Russia has already invited France's Total (TOTF.PA) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) to join new projects in the past month. [ID:nLR103555] [ID:nLO221477]

Analysts have called the trend the easing of Russia's resource nationalism and Resource Minister Yuri Trutnev said last week Russia could soften its legislation on foreign investments to accommodate new financial realities. [ID:nLO107567]

The call came just two weeks after U.S. President Barack Obama visited Moscow and executives of U.S. firms, who accompanied him, called on Russia to ease caps on foreign investments in strategic sectors. [ID:nL751776]

Russia's gas export monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM) said last month GDF Suez is likely to get a 9 percent stake in the Nord Stream pipeline, running from Russia to Germany.

Gazprom has 51 percent of the project, Dutch Gasunie has 9 percent and Germany's E.ON EONG.DE and BASF BASF.F share the rest. (Writing by Gleb Bryanski; Editing by Greg Mahlich)