Gas compressor station on the border between Germany and the Czech Republic. File photoMOSCOW, Apr 14The European Commission (EC) analyzed the decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on gas payments in rubles and warned EU member states that it violates EU sanctions imposed after the start of a special operation in Ukraine, reports Bloomberg agency, citing a source. On March 23, Vladimir Putin announced the transfer of natural gas payments to the EU countries and other states that have introduced restrictive measures into rubles in order to abandon the use of dollars, euros and a number of other currencies in calculations. According to the decree of the head of state, Moscow will consider non-fulfillment of obligations under gas contracts by unfriendly countries if they do not pay for supplies in rubles from April 1. According to the agency, the European Commission presented member countries with a preliminary legal analysis of the document. According to Brussels, Putin's decree creates «new legal circumstances»: Russia will control transactions and be able to regulate the exchange rate in its favor. The mechanism presented in the document will violate the «restrictive measures» of the EU in relation to the Russian government and the Central Bank, according to the EC. After the start of the Russian military special operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, the West announced new anti-Russian sanctions. Calls to reduce dependence on Russian energy resources have become louder in Europe. Many countries announced the freezing of Russian assets — about $ 300 billion. In response, Russia limited the withdrawal of capital and the sale of Russian securities by foreign counterparties. Sanctions pressure on Moscow has already turned into economic problems for Western countries, causing an increase in fuel and food prices.
Calculated losses of Germany in case of refusal of Russian gas
