The G7 countries believe that Vladimir Putin is “back to the wall”.
The G7 countries said on Monday that demanding payment in rubles for Russian gas is “notnot acceptableand shows that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “back against the wallsaid German Economy Minister Robert Habeck.
Read alsoRussian gas: why does Vladimir Putin ask to be paid in rubles?
SEE ALSO – Putin no longer wants payments in dollars or euros for Russian gas delivered to the EU
“All G7 ministers agreed that this was a unilateral and clear violation of existing contracts (…) which means that payment in rubles is not acceptablesaid Robert Habeck, after a virtual meeting with his G7 counterparts. “I think this request should be interpreted as Putin’s back to the wall“, he added. Vladimir Putin announced last week that Russia would no longer accept payments in dollars or euros for gas deliveries to the EU, giving Russian authorities a week to work out a new ruble settlement system. “We ask the companies concerned not to respond to Putin’s request“, said Robert Habeck again on Monday, qualifying Russia as “unreliable supplier“.
Through this requirement,Putin’s attempt to divide us is obvious“, added the minister whose country is chairing the G7 this year (United States, France, Great Britain, Canada, Japan, Germany and Italy). The Russian president explained that his decision was a reaction to the freezing of Russian assets decided by the West to sanction Moscow after the invasion of Ukraine. Many European buyers of Russian gas – including Germany, Poland and France – denounced this request, believing that Russia was violating its contracts with European companies buying gas. Despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian gas continues to flow to the European Union, which refuses to impose an embargo, like the United States.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: the Commission will embark on joint gas purchases
SEE ALSO – “We are heading for hell”: faced with the fall of the ruble, the Russians worried about their future
Some European countries, such as Germany, are indeed particularly dependent on this resource for their economy. Berlin, which supplied more than 55% from Russia before the war, is seeking to quickly reduce its dependence by approaching other producers but does not envisage being able to do without Russian gas before mid-2024. The German government will in particular accelerate the construction of LNG terminals with a view to importing liquefied gas. An agreement was signed in mid-March with Qatar, a major exporter of LNG (liquefied natural gas), for a “long term supplyduring a visit by Robert Habeck to this Gulf country.