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The confusion centers on the logistics of the payments themselves. Several European gas buyers have been preparing to work around the Kremlin’s demand that gas bills be paid in rubles, rather than the euros or dollars stipulated in contracts.
According to Russia’s new payment mechanism, buyers in “unfriendly” countries must open two accounts at Gazprombank — one in euros and the second in rubles, from which payments for the gas would be made.
But on Tuesday, the European Commission said companies opening an account in Russia’s Gazprombank to allow their payments to be converted into rubles would fall foul of EU sanctions.
That statement appeared to contradict guidance the Commission gave just four days earlier, which led some of Europe’s biggest energy companies to assume they could get around the currency issue by opening two accounts with the Russian bank.
It comes as several large European companies are attempting to pay their bills on time without violating sanctions.
“Anything that goes beyond opening an account in the currency of the contract with Gazprombank and making a payment to that account, and then issuing a statement saying that… you have finalized the payment, contravenes the sanctions,” Eric Mamer, the Commission’s chief spokesperson, said at a press briefing.
Since then, European gas distributors, national governments and EU officials have been scrambling to avoid a wider interruption in supplies, while upholding sanctions imposed on Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.
Last month, the European Commission said it “appear[ed] possible” for the new payment mechanism to work. On Friday, it said that so long as buyers pay…
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Source : cnn
