Europe won’t last a week without Russian gas – Medvedev – Moscow |
Moscow. 23 April. Interfax – Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, believes that Europe will not be able to last the round without Russian gas.
“The European Commission allowed payment for gas in rubles and believes that the decree of the President of Russia can still be accepted by European business,” he wrote on Saturday night on his Telegram channel.
“We appreciate the consistency and integrity of our European partners…. Especially considering the fact that, according to the IMF, Europe can do without our gas for no more than 6 months,” he said.
“Well, seriously, even weeks won’t last,” the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation specifically said.
The day before, the European Commission confirmed that it had considered ways of bypassing the EU in the mechanism proposed by the Russian Federation in the event of a gas incident, but at the same time, it believes that the company from the EU finds a legal opportunity to pay for supplies in the new realities.
In the published clarifications of the EC, it is realized that under the new scheme, the Russian Federation will fully control the conversion of dollars or euros into rubles. “It may be possible to connect the Central Bank to the operation (…), which is prohibited by the EU sanctions. Since the process of transferring one currency to another may take an indefinite time, during this entire process, the foreign currency will be under the control of the powers of Russia, in particular – the Central Bank” .
At the same time, the document states that it is likely that companies have the opportunity to use the new mechanism without violating the prescription. “Companies from the EU can demand their Russian counterparts to fulfill contracts in the same way as to accept a new decree, that is, simply transfer the required amount in dollars or euros,” the German statement said.
At the same time, the European Commission advises companies to check with their Russian counterparts whether this is really possible.
Earlier, Western media reported, citing sources, that the European Commission presented to the parent states an analysis of the decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on accidental cases of income from Russia in rubles and warned that its execution would require a penalty against Moscow.