Following Moscow's decision to accept payments for Russian energy in rubles, a number of European politicians spoke out against such a move, as it runs counter to the sanctions imposed against Russia after the start of the special operation in Ukraine.
Thus, according to the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the Europeans will not allow payments for Russian gas in rubles.
This would be an attempt to circumvent the sanctions measures. We won't let you get around our limits
- said the President of the European Commission (quote by Reuters).
A similar point of view is shared by the head of the German Bundestag committee on energy and climate protection, Klaus Ernst. He believes that the transition to the Russian currency will force European countries to resist their own sanctions. However, in Germany they believe that payment in rubles with technical point of view is feasible.
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa and representatives of the Polish energy company PGNiG also spoke out against ruble payments for natural gas from Russia. In Tokyo, Moscow's decision caused misunderstanding, and the head of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, considered such a step to be very problematic.
In turn, Bulgaria, Belgium and Austria have declared their readiness to meet Russian initiatives to one degree or another.
Meanwhile, according to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, there are no effective alternatives to gas supplies from Russia in Europe, and the situation in this regard will not change in the next five years.