“The conditions set are part of a new payment method developed after unprecedented unfriendly actions”, which followed the Russian offensive in Ukrainestated Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov.
“If anyone refuses to pay with the new system, the decree of the Russian president will be applied,” he stressed.
The request to pay in rubles, the spokesman added, is not blackmail, because Russia remains a reliable energy supplier. It is “a response to hostile acts to tell Russia,” insisted Peskov.
Poland’s prime minister on Tuesday accused Russia of trying to “blackmail” his country with an abrupt suspension of its gas supplies, saying he believed the move was retaliation for recent Polish sanctions against Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.
The sanctions announced yesterday by the government of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki targeted some 50 Russian businessmen and companies, including Gazpromthe Russian state gas company.
Hours later, Poland said it had received a communication from Gazprom that it was going to suspend the gas shipment because Warsaw did not pay in rubles.
Speaking before parliament, Prime Minister Morawiecki promised Poland would not be intimidated by the gas cut and said the eastern European country was safe thanks to years of efforts to get energy from sources other than Russia.
The premier added that Polish gas storage units were at 76% capacity and other sources of supply were available.
The Polish gas company, PGNiG, nevertheless considered that the immediate cut-off represents a violation of the contracts in force and that, therefore, it will request a compensationreported the DPA news agency.
45% of all the gas that Poland consumes comes from Russia. But Poland uses far more coal than gas for home heating and industry, and gas only makes up 9% of the country’s energy mix.
The Bulgarian prime minister also accused Russia of “unacceptable blackmail” after Gazprom suspended its gas supplies.
“It constitutes a serious violation of the contract,” Kiril Petkov told reporters. “We will not give in to such blackmail,” he stressed as quoted by the AFP news agency.
The head of government added that Bulgaria “will review all its contracts with Gazprom, including the one referring to transit” to third countries such as Hungary.
In a statement, Gazprom indicated that it had notified the Bulgarian company Bulgargaz and the Polish company PGNiG of the “suspension of gas supplies from April 27 until payment is made” in Russian currency.
The Russian President, Vladimir Putindeclared last month that Russia would only accept payment for gas in its national currency, the ruble, in response to Western sanctions imposed in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
Bulgaria paid in advance for the supplies in April, showing that Gazprom has breached its contract.
Source: Ambito
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