According to the requirements of Moscow
No new interruptions are expected before mid-May
Ten European buyers with Gazprombank accounts
Four European customers of Russia’s energy holding Gazprom have already arranged to pay for their gas supplies in rubles, according to demands made a month ago by Russian President Vladimir Putin. This was announced by the American information agency “Bloomberg”, specializing in financial information, referring to an unnamed source close to the gas company. Even if other European customers of Gazprom still refuse to accept the Kremlin’s terms, after the interruption of supplies of raw materials to Bulgaria and Poland today, at this stage no new shocks are expected in this direction before the second half of May, when the maturity for subsequent payments.
Ten European companies buying natural gas have already opened their current accounts with Gazprombank, which is Moscow’s main requirement for the normal continuation of trade relations. The source of the agency does not specify which companies are in question, as well as which are the specific EU countries that have already arranged with Moscow to pay for their gas supplies in rubles. International observers recall that Germany, Austria and Hungary have already expressed their readiness to meet the Kremlin’s demands to pay for natural gas in rubles in one way or another. The last two countries are directly dependent on the transmission of gas through the territory of Bulgaria and according to the latest data during the day have not experienced a decline in supplies.
Gazprom’s supplies to Bulgaria and Poland were suspended on Wednesday morning after the two countries failed to join Moscow’s proposed ruble payment mechanism, which the gas giant said did not violate EU sanctions, a Bloomberg source said. Russia supplies gas to 23 European countries, observers say.
The European Union has announced a series of economic and trade sanctions against Russia in recent weeks over the invasion of Ukraine. In response, Moscow demanded that all deals with Russian gas be paid in rubles from April 1, Bloomberg recalls.
EC President Ursula von der Leyen: We have been working for months to reduce addiction
“We have been working for months to reduce gas dependence and now it is paying off. We have already reduced the flow of gas from Russia, and that is for the good of all. ” This was announced by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at a briefing in Brussels. According to her, Poland and Bulgaria already receive gas from neighboring EU member states.
“We are not surprised that the Kremlin is using fossil fuels to try to blackmail us. This is something that the EC was preparing for. “Our response will be immediate and coordinated,” she said. “We will make sure that Gazprom’s decision has the least possible impact on European consumers. Poland and Bulgaria are already receiving gas from their EU neighbors, “von der Layen added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov: Gas is paid only under the new system
Payments from Poland and Bulgaria under gas contracts in the correct form will be the basis for continuing supplies. This was stated by Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the President of Russia, TASS reported.
Asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to have contacts with colleagues from those countries to discuss the gas supply situation, Peskov said: “There are no plans.”
Peskov did not rule out that countries other than Poland and Bulgaria will not receive Russian gas if they do not pay for it in rubles.
“As the payment deadline approaches, if some consumers refuse to pay under the new system, then the presidential decree will, of course, be complied with,” a Kremlin spokesman said.
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