Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has urged EU countries not to pay for gas imports in rubles as demanded by Russia.
Putin on Wednesday said Russia would continue to deliver gas as promised, but would no longer accept payments in dollars or euros.
The measure will apply to blacklisted “unfriendly” countries, meaning countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia since the February 24 invasion such as Britain, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United States and members of the European Union. Reacting, Kuleba on Twitter said, “If any EU country bows to Putin’s shameful demands to pay for oil and gas in rubles, it would be like helping Ukraine with one hand and helping Russia kill Ukraine with the other.
“I urge the countries concerned to make wise and responsible choices,” he wrote. The Kremlin’s move appears designed to boost the national currency hit by weeks of sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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