“Contracts (concluded) are based on dollars and euros, so private sector companies must pay in dollars or euros,” RIA Novosti quotes him as saying.
On March 31, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had signed a decree on gas trade with unfriendly countries.
According to him, in order for Western countries to be able to purchase gas from Russia, they must open accounts in Russian banks.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak called it logical to transfer payments for Russian gas supplies into rubles, noting that several buyers have already agreed to this settlement scheme.
The Kremlin said that information about countries willing to buy gas for rubles is unlikely to be published.