Putin to Europe: Pay for Your Gas in Rubles or We’ll Cut You Off
Russia’s Vladimir Putin has signed a decree demanding that “unfriendly” countries that rely on Russian gas pay in rubles—or be cut off completely starting Friday.
“In order to purchase Russian natural gas, they must open ruble accounts in Russian banks. It is from these accounts that payments will be made for gas delivered starting from tomorrow,” he said Thursday.
If payments are not made in rubles, he said, “we will consider this a default on the part of buyers, with all the ensuing consequences. Nobody sells us anything for free, and we are not going to do charity either—that is, existing contracts will be stopped.”
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