LAST UPDATE: 17:04
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said Friday that there was no change in Russia’s schedule for foreign companies to pay for gas in rubles, following Britain’s decision to grant Gazprombank a license to pay for gas until the end of May.
According to Reuters, Peshkov said that all payment schedules were set in Putin’s presidential decree at the end of March and the arrangements should be made in accordance with that decree.
On Monday, Peshkov said there was still time for so-called “unfriendly” countries to switch to gas payments in rubles, which expire in May.
Britain imposed sanctions on Gazprombank last month, giving it until April 23 to end its dealings with the lender, which is one of the main payment channels for Russian oil and gas.
According to the new license, the British Ministry of Finance stated that payments to Gazprombank for natural gas available in the EU under contracts concluded before 21 April can be extended until 31 May.
It allows actions such as opening and closing bank accounts to make such payments, according to the document published on the internet.
Russian gas accounts for about 40% of EU imports. Brussels has not formally discussed ending Russian gas imports as part of measures taken against Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine, given the bloc ‘s dependence on them.
“It seems to be a setback from the UK government,” said Ana Stanic, an energy lawyer at EA Law.
Source: Capital
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