Everything Is Very Simple Here: von der Leyen on Paying for Gas in Rubles

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stated that energy companies in the European Union that agree to pay for gas supplies in Russian rubles at Moscow’s request will be violating the sanctions imposed due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Von der Leyen's comments followed statements from officials in Poland and Bulgaria, indicating that Moscow had halted natural gas supplies to those countries because they refused to pay in rubles.

Yesterday, von der Leyen emphasized that the European Union's position is "very clear": "Payment in rubles, if not stipulated in the contract, is a violation of our sanctions. Approximately 97% of our contracts explicitly specify payment in euros or dollars, so everything here is very straightforward. The Russian side's demand to pay in rubles is a unilateral decision that does not conform to the contracts," she noted.

It is important to recall that Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded a new payment system for gas after sanctions were imposed against his country.