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One of Germany’s largest energy companies said today it was preparing to buy Russian gas with a payment system that could run counter to EU sanctions.
The Uniper Group said it would pay in euros, which would then be converted into rubles, meeting the Kremlin’s request that all transactions be made in Russian currency.
Other European energy groups are reportedly preparing to do the same amid concerns over supply disruptions, writes the British network BBC.
Uniper said there is no other choice but is still respecting EU sanctions.
“We are considering a version that complies with both sanctions and the Russian decree, if possible,” a German spokesman told the BBC.
“For our company and Germany, it is not possible to work without Russian gas as it would have dramatic consequences for the economy.”
The German distribution network RWE declined to comment on the matter.
The European Commission said last week that “if buyers make payments in euros and receive confirmation of action before it is converted into rubles, then there are no sanctions violations.”
In late March, Russia said “unfriendly countries” had to pay for its oil and gas in rubles, as Western allies froze billions of dollars and other currencies in assets.
According to the decree, importers must pay in euros or dollars to an account of Gazprombank, which is Gazprom’s Swiss banking branch, which then converts them into rubles to be sent to Russia.
Poland, one of the movement’s harshest critics, said the EU should penalize countries that use rubles to pay for Russian gas.
Minister Anna Moskwa mentioned Germany, Hungary and Austria as countries that are resisting the embargo on Russia.
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