Austria imposes an early warning level for gas supplies and rejects Putin’s demand to change the method of payment for gas supplies.
The move was smart: Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he would only accept rubles as payment for gas deliveries at the end of the month and no more dollars or euros. He wanted to force European states to lift their own sanctions. Because the EU froze Russia’s foreign exchange reserves.
The deadline will initially pass without consequences. The payment conversion will not take effect on Thursday and will take place gradually, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “No money, no gas,” he said recently. This would have serious consequences for Austria. Its gas imports are 80% dependent on Russia. But the federal government does not want to be blackmailed by Putin. “We do not pay in rubles. This is not provided for in the contract,” he said when questioned by the “Presse” of the Federal Chancellery. Postscript: “This is a European position.”