MOSCOW, 23 Apr. The European Commission explained to the members of the European Union the mechanism for paying for Russian gas supplies under the sanctions. The corresponding document was published on the website of the Bloomberg agency. According to the directives, the payment process, which is provided for in the decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin of March 31, «allows Russia to involve the Central Bank in it, <…> which is prohibited by sanctions.» At the same time, it is argued that it is still possible to pay for gas without violating EU laws. «EU companies can ask their Russian counterparties to fulfill their contractual obligations in the same way as before the decree was adopted, that is, by paying the required amount into euros or dollars,» the message reads.Gas prices in Europe ended the week above $1,050 per thousand cubic metersEurope will not last a weekEurope will not last a week without Russian gas, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said, commenting on the decision of the EC. six months. But seriously, it won't even last a week,» Medvedev wrote in his Telegram channel. He noted that the European Commission allowed gas payments in rubles and believes that the decree of the President of Russia can still be applied by European business. Accounts to pay for gasRussian President Vladimir Putin on March 23 announced the transfer of payment for natural gas supplies to the EU countries and other states that have introduced restrictive measures into rubles in order to abandon the use of dollars and euros in calculations. Then the head of state signed a corresponding decree and said that Russia would consider non-fulfillment of obligations under gas contracts by unfriendly countries if they did not pay in rubles from April 1. Last Wednesday, the State Duma immediately adopted in the second and third, final, reading a law that would simplify for foreign companies, opening accounts in Russian banks, which is necessary, among other things, for gas payments in rubles. As follows from the document, tax registration of such organizations will become possible upon the application of the Russian credit institution in which the account is opened.FAZ: countries interested in Russian gas «hide» in EuropeGas supplies to EuropeThe ban on the purchase of Russian gas is seen as one of the ways to tighten sanctions against Russia after the start of a special military operation in Ukraine. Earlier, in this context, the recently built Nord Stream 2 pipeline was discussed, which many European politicians allegedly perceived as a political project. At the same time, the authorities of most countries that import fuel from Russia admit that it is almost impossible to quickly find alternative sources of supply. Thus, the Austrian Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler noted that Austria is still too dependent on Russia, and the German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said that the EU countries cannot refuse Russian gas now. After the start of a special operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, the United States and the European Union strengthened sanctions pressure on Russia. Restrictions affected the import of high-tech products and technologies, some large banks were disconnected from the SWIFT system, Russian assets worth about $300 billion were frozen, many companies announced their withdrawal from the Russian market and the closure of production facilities. According to Putin, the «collective West» by freezing Russian assets has effectively destroyed confidence in its currencies. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that the companies that refused to work with Russia did so under huge political pressure, but the country would solve all the problems with the economy. In Europe, calls have become louder to reduce dependence on Moscow's energy resources. The actions of American and European officials have already turned into economic problems for Western countries and caused an increase in fuel and food prices.
