In possibly the greatest show of political power ever to attend the grand opening of a gas station, Russian President Vladimir Putin showed up in Chelsea yesterday with Sen. Chuck Schumer to help inaugurate the first Russian-owned chain of petroleum stops in America.

There was no ribbon-cutting at the opening of the Lukoil station at 10th Avenue and 24th Street, but the diminutive Russian leader shook hands with nervous-looking employees, drank a cup of coffee – spiked with skim milk – and sampled a Krispy Kreme doughnut in the station’s Kwik Farms convenience store.

Schumer said the Russian-drilled petroleum from Lukoil – which bought out Getty Petroleum Marketing Inc. in 2000 – would be a boon the United States because it could help free America from dependence on oil from the OPEC nations, many of which are hostile Middle Eastern states.

“I hope it does cause problems for OPEC,” Schumer said. “I hope OPEC is hurt by this so they don’t have a stranglehold on the oil market anymore.”

Lukoil says it gets its oil primarily from fields in western Siberia and the northern Caspian Sea.

Lukoil, which controls the second-largest oil reserve of any company, also gets oil from South America and from Iran and Egypt.

Before the war, Lukoil had a contract with Saddam Hussein to drill in Iraq, but the dictator voided it before his ouster because Lukoil talked with the United States about keeping its interests in the Gulf region after any possible conflict.

The company now hopes to return to Iraq, although its contract situation remains in limbo.

“The more competition there is in oil, especially against OPEC – the better New York will do, and the better America will do,” Schumer said.

Putin spent about 15 minutes at the station, which had a bright-red color scheme that made it seem like more of a Soviet creation than that of a newly emerging capitalist country.

Lukoil President Vagit Alexperov told reporters, “Through today’s action, America will have a new source of energy.”

Lukoil now controls 1,300 former Getty-owned stations, including 122 in New York City, which it will slowly begin to rebrand as red-painted Lukoil stations.

The takeover of Getty was the first time a Russian oil company ever took over a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

“If Lukoil is successful and Russia is successful, then the price of oil will come down,” Schumer said.

When a reporter noted the prices at the station were not exactly cheap: $1.95 for regular and $2.09 for super, Schumer said, “The prices aren’t going to come down in a day.”