Russia wants payment in roubles for supplying gas to EU

Russia is working out methods for accepting payments for its gas exports in roubles and will take decisions in due course should European countries refuse to pay in the Russian currency, the Kremlin said on Monday.

At a meeting of EU leaders on Friday, no common position emerged on Russia's demand last week that “unfriendly” countries pay in roubles, not euros, for its gas in the wake of US and European allies teaming up on a series of sanctions against the country.

Concerns about security of supply were enhanced after the demand, with companies and EU nations scrambling to understand the ramifications.

The Russian central bank, the government and Gazprom, which accounts for 40% of European gas imports, should present their proposals for rouble gas payments to president Vladimir Putin by March 31.

“We are not going to supply gas for free, this is clear,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on a conference call. “In our situation, this is hardly possible and appropriate to engage in charity [with European customers].”

In a Friday interview with broadcaster Welt, German finance minister Christian Lindner advised energy providers in his country not to pay for Russian gas in roubles.

Italy will continue paying Russia in euros, a top economic adviser to the Italian government said last week.

“The only big issue in Europe is gas and Russia is asking us to pay in roubles, which we don't have, and it's not in the contract,” said Claudio Descalzi, CEO of Italian energy group Eni, at an industry event in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday.

Poland's PGNiG, which has a contract with Gazprom until the end of the year, has also said it cannot simply switch to paying in roubles.

The EU aims to cut its dependency on Russian gas by two-thirds this year and end Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027.

On Friday, the US said it will work to supply 15-billion cubic metres of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU this year.

US LNG plants are producing at full capacity and analysts say most of any additional US gas sent to Europe will have to come from exports that would have gone elsewhere.

Russian gas exports to the EU were at about 155-billion cubic metres (BCM) last year. 

Reuters