29 Mar 2022 16:14

EU follows G7 in rejecting Russian demands that gas be paid for in rubles - European Commission

BRUSSELS. March 29 (Interfax) - The European Union participated in the G7's discussion regarding payment for Russian gas in rubles, so the G7's conclusions are justified for the EU as well, European Commission (EC) spokesman Eric Mamer said on Tuesday at a briefing in Brussels, responding to a question about how the EU would react to Russian President Vladimir Putin's demand that only be rubles be accepted as payment for Russian gas exports.

"Our position is the same as that of the G7," Mamer said.

Commenting on the previous day's meeting of G7 energy ministers, at which the European Commission was represented, Mamer said that the participants in the discussion "rejected the demand" of the Russian side to pay for gas deliveries in rubles. "As far as we are concerned, we said that deliveries should be made using dollars or euros [as payment]," the spokesman said.