President Putin only wants to accept rubles for Russian gas deliveries, no more dollars or euros. But nothing should change for Germany and the G7 countries.
After talks with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) confirmed that Germany would continue to pay for gas supplies from Russia in euros or dollars, as stipulated in the contracts.
“It remains the case that the G7 agreement applies,” said the spokesman for the federal government, Steffen Hebestreit, on Wednesday evening in Berlin. Putin explained in the phone call that a law will apply from April 1st, according to which the delivery of gas must be paid for in rubles.
However, nothing would change for the European contractual partners: payments would continue to be made exclusively in euros and, as usual, would be transferred to Gazprom Bank, which is not affected by the sanctions. The bank then converts the money into rubles. Scholz did not agree to this procedure, but only asked for written information about it, Hebestreit emphasized. Putin asked for the conversation.
The Kremlin had previously announced that the switch to payments in rubles for Russian gas should not lead to disadvantages for Germany. The decision should not “lead to a worsening of the contract terms for European importers of Russian gas”.
According to the Kremlin, Putin justified the conversion of payments from euros or dollars to “the fact that the foreign exchange reserves of the Bank of Russia were frozen by the member states of the European Union in violation of the norms of international law”. This was the EU’s reaction to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Russian President said last week that payments in euros and dollars are now of no value to the country.
According to the Kremlin, Putin and Scholz also exchanged views on the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on Tuesday. The talks also discussed how civilians from the contested areas of Ukraine, including the port city of Mariupol, can be brought to safety. The Kremlin did not give details. The Ukrainian and Russian sides repeatedly accuse each other of sabotaging the evacuation of the cities.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
