Germany: Russia’s largest gas importer completes first ruble payment

Uniper, Germany’s largest importer of Russian gas, has completed the first payment at Moscow’s request to ensure the continued flow of natural gas, which is critical to Europe’s largest economy.

“Like other German and European companies, Uniper has changed its payment method for gas deliveries from Russia. Uniper pays in euros under the new payment mechanism,” said the Düsseldorf-based company. “The first of these payments was made at the end of May. Therefore, Uniper acted within the framework of the sanctions and can continue to ensure the timely fulfillment of the terms of the contract.”

Russia’s payment plan, which envisions opening accounts to pay in euros and then converting them into rubles, has revealed cracks in Europe’s unified response to the war in Ukraine, with some member states refusing to agree and others seeking ways to comply with Moscow’s requirement.

Germany is heavily dependent on Russian gas, which accounted for more than 50% of fuel imports last year. Last month, Uniper announced that it would make the first payment under the new plan in late May, without specifying an exact date.

Uniper, which seeks to sell its Russian subsidiary Unipro, says the process was completed in coordination with the German government and follows European Union guidelines.

Earlier today, Russian energy giant Gazprom announced that it would cut off gas supplies to Orsted, Denmark, and Shell Energy on June 1 for a gas supply contract in Germany after the two companies refused to comply with the new payment plan. of Moscow.

Source: AMPE

Source: Capital

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