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Russian Gas Cut Off Is 'Blackmail,' EU Says
Posted
April 27, 2022
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0:34Now PlayingEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described the move by Russia to halt gas delivery to certain European Union member states as "blackmail" on Wednesday.
"This is something the European Commission has been preparing for in close coordination and solidarity with member states and international partners. Our response will be immediate, united and coordinated," she added.
Russia dramatically escalated its standoff with the West over the war in Ukraine, cutting natural gas off to NATO members Poland and Bulgaria and threatening to disconnect even more nations.
Russia has requested that certain so-called "unfriendly" nations pay for their gas in rubles but von der Leyen stated the request was contrary to the sanctions currently imposed.
Adding that most contracts are designated to be paid in euros or dollars and companies with such contracts "should not accede to the Russian demands."
A day after the United States and other Western allies vowed to speed more and better military supplies to Ukraine, the Kremlin upped the ante, using its most essential export as leverage.
The tactic could eventually force targeted nations to ration gas and deal another blow to economies suffering from rising prices.
It could also deprive Russia of badly needed income to fund its war effort.
Benchmark gas prices in Europe shot up on the news that Poland and Bulgaria were cut off, marking another dark turn in a war that has revived the geopolitical rifts of the Cold War.
In a memo, state-controlled Russian giant Gazprom said it was shutting off the countries because they refused to pay in Russian rubles, as President Vladimir Putin had demanded.
The company said it had not received any such payment since the beginning of the month, though Bulgaria's energy minister disputed that.
Natural gas prices in Europe shot up 25% before the market opened Wednesday and then eased off but remained significantly higher.
The gas cuts do not immediately put the countries into dire trouble since they have worked on getting alternative sources for several years now and the continent is heading into summer, making gas less essential for households.
Yet the move and Kremlin warnings that more nations could be cut off sent shivers of worry through the 27-nation European Union, which immediately convened a special coordination group to limit the impact.
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