On Monday, the G7 countries believed that demanding payment in rubles for Russian gas was “not acceptable”.
The Kremlin on Tuesday pushed for payment in rubles for Russian gas supplied to Europe, rejecting criticism from the G7, while the West and Russians have multiplied sanctions and counter-sanctions since Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
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†Nobody is going to supply gas for free. It’s just not possible. And it can only be paid in rublesKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. †The situation has changed against the background of an economic war being waged against Russia“, he pointed out,”companies (Russian gas commander) need to understand (it)In retaliation for the European sanctions passed over Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin announced last week that Russia would accept only rubles as payment for gas supplies to the EU, giving Russian authorities a week to develop a new ruble settlement system.
“Not acceptable”
On Monday, G7 countries said demanding ruble payment for Russian gas is “not”not acceptable,” said an announcement by German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, calling on the companies involved to “not respond to Putin’s requestand called Russia a “unreliable supplier†Russia was, remains and remains a reliable supplier of hydrocarbons“Dmitry Peskov responded again on Tuesday. On Thursday, the Russian government, the Central Bank and the Russian gas giant Gazprom will present to Vladimir Putin a report on the establishment of the ruble payment system.
Read alsoAsking for payment for Russian gas in rubles is ‘not acceptable’, says G7
Russian gas is of crucial importance to the EU, which has been looking for ways to get rid of this dependency since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. The decision to switch to ruble billing will allow Russia to support its national currency, which has been hampered by sanctions, but will deprive Russia of a key source of foreign exchange. However, this implies a revision of existing supply contracts.
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