On May 19th, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak revealed that about half of the foreign companies that buy Russian gas have agreed to pay for it in rubles.
“About half of the foreign clients dealing with (Gazprom Export) have opened accounts in rubles to pay for Russian gas, out of 54 clients of the Russian company,” Novak was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying.
Novak pointed out that the final list of buyers who switched to paying for gas in rubles will be known in the coming days, stressing that the shift to rubles in gas sales to Western countries was necessary and obligatory, with the aim of preserving fuel export revenues.
Regarding the repercussions of the European Union’s refusal to buy Russian oil, Novak indicated that the global market will witness a redistribution of oil supplies if the Union takes this step, as Russia will send its oil to other markets.
O. al-Mohammad