Russia President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signalled he could override European gas supply contracts unless what he termed “unfriendly” states pay for the commodity in roubles from Friday.
“To buy Russian gas, they need to open rouble accounts in Russian banks,” Putin said in a TV appearance.
“It is from those accounts that gas will be paid for, starting 1 April. If such payments aren’t made, we will consider this a failure by the client to comply with its obligations.”
According to an order signed by Putin, gas buyers should open accounts with the state-controlled Gazprombank to facilitate currency exchange on purchases.
The G7 — US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada – has so far refused to meet his demand.
