Following Moscow’s decision to cut energy supplies to Poland and Bulgaria for refusing to pay in rubles, the European Commission president has assured that this challenge will receive an “immediate, united and coordinated” response from the EU.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenwarned on Wednesday the companies that buy gas from Russia that if they give in to the “blackmail” of the Kremlin of pay in rubles the delivery when not foreseen in their procurement contracts presupposes a violation of the sanctions imposed by the European Union on the Vladimir Putin regime, which could have legal consequences for these companies.
In a statement to the press following Moscow’s decision to power supply to Poland and Bulgaria cut off refusing to pay in rubles, the head of the Community Executive has assured that this challenge will receive an “immediate, united and coordinated” response from the EU, pointing out that the bloc is “working intensely” on the next package of coercive measures, without clarifying the schedule or content.
“Russia’s request to pay in rubles is a unilateral decision and does not comply with the contracts,” emphasized von der Leyen, who has indicated that 97% of the companies’ gas supply contracts “explicitly state” that gas is in euros. or dollars is paid and has warned that accepting payments in Russian currency poses “a high risk to businesses”.
It’s no surprise that the Kremlin uses fossil fuels to blackmail us.
This is something @EU_Commission has prepared, together with Member States and international partners.
Our response will be immediate, unified and coordinated.
https://t.co/hUc7DzGfd5
—Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 27, 2022
Extraordinary encounter
He also announced that EU energy ministers will meet extraordinary “as soon as possible” to address the situation.
In the opinion of the head of the community administration, Moscow’s decision to stop deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria represents a “provocation”but has made it clear that the bloc is “not surprised” that the Kremlin wants to use fossil fuels to blackmail the EU.
In this sense, von der Leyen has assured that Poland and Bulgaria are currently receiving gas from “their European neighbours”, something that shows “solidarity” in the face of possible gas supply disruptions.
German policy has recalled that the EU is working to diversify its gas supply in the “medium term” by strengthening its relationship with other suppliers and added that the sixth package of sanctions “will arrive in due course”, but that the bloc is working intensively so that it can be adopted as soon as possible.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
