Amid the row over the European Union's plan to impose sanctions on the Russian oil and gas, some countries which are highly dependent on Russian energy resources, are exploring ways to purchase oil from Moscow.
In the latest development, Euractiv reported that Germany and Italy have allowed companies to open ruble accounts to pay for the Russian gas and oil.
Its main aim is to allow companies to continue buying Russian gas without breaching EU sanctions. The decision was taken after consulting with the senior members of the European Union.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered on March 23 that unfriendly states must pay for Russian gas in rubles, saying that Moscow would refuse to accept payments under gas contracts with those states in ‘compromised’ currencies, particularly meaning dollars and euros.
Russian energy giant Gazprom confirms its full-stop to natural gas deliveries to Finland after Finnish company Gasum failed to pay in rubles for the previous supplies, Russia’s company said in a statement on Saturday.
ZZ/PR