MILANO – The Russian president Vladimir Putin go straight: Western companies will have to pay for Moscow gas in rubles and to do so they will have to open an account in local currency at a Russian bank. This is the indication arrived today by the Russian president, who also signed the decree establishing the new obligation. “The US tries to solve its own problems at the expense of others. Their mistakes in the economic field try to dump them on us. They try to push Europe to buy American gas, which is more expensive” than Russian gas, he said. Putin said.
Gas and oil from Russia, Rogoff: “Impossible to pay in rubles. But we can expect anything from Putin”
by Eugenio Occorsio
The European wall. France and Germany ready to block gas imports
Europe and the G7 have been very clear on this point, reiterating that they have no intention of meeting Moscow’s requests. Concept reaffirmed today also by Germany and France, which have also opened up the possibility of blocking gas imports. “We must take into consideration all scenarios, we must prepare ourselves because tomorrow there may be no more Russian gas”, said the French minister Bruno Le Maire in a press conference with his German counterpart. Robert Habeck. “We must not give a message that we are being blackmailed by Putin,” said Habeck. “Contracts must be respected,” he added. “We will not accept in any way to pay for gas in other currencies than those stipulated in the contracts”, reiterated La Maire instead. Yesterday, the Kremlin spokesman had already made it clear that the deadline of March 31 would not be mandatory to trigger the new measures because adoption would take some time.
Gas, the G7 rejects the Russian ultimatum: “It is unacceptable, we will not pay in rubles”
by Luca Pagni
The jump in price
A new acceleration, that of Moscow, which has made the price of gas soar again. In Amsterdam, prices jumped to 127 euros per MWh, before falling back to 123 euros with a 1.5% rise. In London, the price rises to 302 pence per Mmbtu, up 5.6%.
Moscow reneges on gas ultimatum: “For now, pay for supplies in euros”
by our correspondent Rosalba Castelletti
The technical details
Kremlin Councilor Maksim Oreshkin explained in detail, and exclusively in technical terms, to Germany the methods of gas payments in rubles, after the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz and the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, had already spoken on the phone yesterday. , said the spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, quoted by the Tass agency, explaining that the same payment methods apply to all hostile countries.
Putin had previously informed Scholz personally, and in “very detailed” fashion, of the arrangements for payments in rubles, “but to reiterate this explanation at expert level, the President instructed his adviser Oreshkin to call Jorg Kukies, assistant to the economics of the Chancellor “. “The phone call between the two took place late yesterday evening. The conversation about the functioning of this system was substantial, technical, not political”. “In fact – Peskov explained – there will be no changes for Russian gas customers. They will buy rubles using the same currencies mentioned in the contracts”.