Payment by European companies in rubles for gas supplied by Russia violates the EU sanctions, said the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Wednesday.
"Payment in rubles is a violation of sanctions," she told reporters in Brussels, according to UNN.
According to her, the initiative with payment in rubles is "a unilateral decision of Russia," von der Leyen believes that, therefore, companies whose contracts provide for payment only in dollars or euros should not switch to rubles.
"There is a high risk of sanctions for those companies that will go for it (agree to Russia's requirements)," she added.
Note that Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing a source close to Gazprom, that ten European buyers have already opened special accounts at Gazprombank to pay for Russian gas supplies under the new mechanism - with conversion to rubles.
In total there are 21 countries in the list of "unfriendly" countries. Four European buyers have already paid for the Russian gas supplies in rubles. A new wave of payments for gas will come after May 15, the source added.
