MILAN/BERLIN: According to sources, following discussions with the European Union, Germany and Italy told companies that they could open rouble accounts to continue buying Russian gas without breaching sanctions.
The debate over Russia’s demand that foreign gas importers pay in roubles has put European countries’ resolve to take a hard position against Moscow in the Ukraine war to the test.
Poland, Bulgaria, and Finland had their gas supply cut off because they refused to comply with Moscow’s request that importers pay for gas through rouble accounts with Gazprombank.