No rubles, no gas, warned Vladimir Putin in March. This Wednesday, April 27, the Russian company Gazprom has cut the supply tap to Bulgaria and Poland.
Indeed, the company is only applying the directives of the Kremlin, which uses its status as an energy supplier to counter international sanctions related to the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin also warned that other countries would be deprived of Russian gas if they refused to pay in rubles.
The interruption of this gas supply is nothing more than “blackmail” for the European Union, an accusation that the Kremlin rejects.
In Poland, “There will be no gas shortage in Polish homes,” wrote Polish Climate Minister Anna Moskwa on Twitter. “Since the first day of the war, we have declared that we are ready for total independence from Russian raw materials,” she added.
For Bulgaria, which is 90% dependent on Russian gas, said to have undertaken actions to find alternative arrangements for the supply of natural gas and cope with the situation.
“Today, the Kremlin failed once again in his attempt to sow division amongst member states. The era of Russian fossil fuel in Europe is coming to an end.” said Von Der Leyen, President of the EU.
However, this announcement comes at a time when many countries are concerned about the risk of the current conflict spreading outside Ukraine, after a series of explosions, attributed by Kiev to Moscow, in the Moldovan separatist region of Transdniestria.