Speaking alongside Granholm, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said the earlier release constituted just 4% of the total storage of its member countries, which includes 31 mostly industrialised countries but not Russia. Birol said IEA countries were united in seeking to radically reduce Russian oil and gas imports, describing a demand by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that "unfriendly" countries pay for natural gas in roubles as a "security threat".
