European Commission decides to pay for gas in rubles
The European Commission sent a letter to the countries of the European Union explaining that EU companies, under certain conditions, will be able to pay for Russian gas in rubles.
According to Reuters, foreign companies will be able to pay for Russian gas and not violate the sanctions imposed on Moscow.
The European Commission stressed that payment for gas in rubles “may include the Central Bank of Russia in the scheme of the deal.” However, the European Commission indicates in this document that “it is possible to make payments in dollars or euros.
As Reuters explains, one of the proposed schemes for paying for gas in rubles provides for the opening of accounts in Russian banks by gas-receiving companies in dollars or euros, in which a European company – gas recipients credits the currency, converts it into rubles and makes the payment. In this regard, such a scheme would exclude the possibility of Western countries blocking payments for Russian gas.
Thus, the European Commission confirmed that the “Russian decree” does not exclude the payment process, which would allow companies from the European Union not to violate the sanctions regime.
