Italy will pay in rubles to buy Russian gas
Informed sources said that the Italian energy giant Eni is preparing to open bank accounts in Russian rubles in Russia's Gazprom Bank, so that it can pay the value of its purchases of Russian natural gas in the Russian currency, in implementation of the decision of President Vladimir Putin.
And the Bloomberg news agency quoted the sources as saying that this step is a precaution, as Eni is asking the Italian government and European authorities for more clarification on the conditions that allow it to use these accounts to purchase Russian gas.
Bloomberg indicated that an Eni spokesman declined to comment on this news.
This comes as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned companies that complying with Moscow's demands and paying for gas in rubles would be a violation of sanctions, in light of the escalating confrontation between Russia and Europe over energy supplies.
"Companies bound by such contracts should not bow to Russian demands," von der Leyen said.
This would amount to a violation of sanctions, which is very dangerous for companies.”
The governments of Bulgaria and Poland have announced that Russia will stop delivering natural gas supplies to them starting today, Wednesday, in a major escalation over the battle between Moscow and Europe over necessary gas supplies.
It is noteworthy that Italy gets 40% of its natural gas imports from Russia, while Prime Minister Mario Draghi seeks to find alternative sources of gas supplies.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news