Bulgaria and Poland are now supplied with gas”by their EU neighbors‘ after Gazprom suspended Russian supplies, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.We will ensure that Gazprom’s decision has the least possible impact on European consumers“, assured the head of the Brussels executive in a short speech to the press. “The measure taken by Russia affects Russia itself. The Kremlin is harming the Russian economy, as it deprives itself of significant revenues‘ she guessed.
Bulgaria and Poland had already stated that they could obtain the missing gas from other sources.
Ms von der Leyen announced the French EU Presidency’s plan to “as soon as possible“European Energy Ministers.”Today, the Kremlin failed again in its attempt to sow divisions between member states‘ she assured after a meeting of the European Gas Coordination Group.
Russian gas giant Gazprom announced on Wednesday that it had suspended all gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland because those two countries, members of NATO and the European Union, failed to make payments in rubles. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that Russia would only accept payments for gas supplies in its national currency in response to sanctions imposed to punish the Kremlin’s offensive in Ukraine.
European companies willing to pay for Russian gas in rubles, as Moscow is demanding, would be violating EU sanctions and exposing themselves to legal risks.”behaved“, warned Ms. von der Leyen.”Around 97% of the contracts (between EU companies and Russian gas suppliers) provide for payment in euros or dollars (…) Companies with such contracts must not give in to Russia’s demands, which would violate the sanctions“Imposed by the Twenty-Seven,” she added.
The war in Ukraine exposed the EU’s dependence on Russian gas, which accounts for 45% of its global imports. But the President of the Commission recalled the commitment of the 27 to eliminate this dependency quickly.“.”The Kremlin uses fossil fuels as a tool of blackmail‘ Mrs von der Leyen continued to estimate.
“Unkind Actions”
For its part, the Kremlin believes that the suspension of Russian gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland for not paying in rubles as required is the result of unprecedented hostile actions against Russia. “The stipulated terms are part of a new payment method developed after unprecedented unkind acts in the business and financial sphere‘ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said after the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
He assured that after the “Flight“of a”significant partof Russian reserves, an indication of the freeze on Russian foreign exchange reserves held abroad.
“It’s not about blackmail‘ Mr Peskov continued in response to allegations by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.