Leaders from some European Union member states have claimed that Moscow’s demand that “unfriendly” countries pay rubles for Russia’s gas could breach supply contracts, Reuters reported on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered that gas contracts with “unfriendly countries” – those responsible for sanctions against Russia – be settled in rubles only. The announcement sent European gas prices soaring, raising concerns of a possible energy crunch in the EU.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday the currency that his country’s companies must pay for Russian fossil fuels is fixed in their contracts. “There are fixed contracts everywhere, with the currency in which the deliveries are to be paid being part of these contracts… in most cases it says euros or dollars,” Scholz said after arriving at the EU summit in Brussels.