Russia cuts gas supply to the Netherlands over refusal to pay in roubles

Following its refusal to pay in roubles, Russia has announced it is cutting the gas supply to the Netherlands

Image of gas burner. Credit: Creative Commons

Russian gas supplier Gazprom has announced the cutting of all supplies of natural gas to the Netherlands.

Gazprom, the Russian gas giant announced today, Monday, May 30, that it will be cutting off all supplies of natural gas to the Netherlands. As of tomorrow, Tuesday, May 31, as revealed in a statement from the company, it will no longer supply Dutch company GasTerra, after it refused to pay the Russian state company through Gazprombank.

“Gazprom Export informed GazTerra of the cessation of gas supplies from May 31, 2022, and until the payment is made in accordance with the mechanisms established by the decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which establishes the payment in roubles” the Russian consortium reported on its official Telegram account.

Previously, countries such as Poland, Bulgaria, and Finland refused to pay for gas in roubles, after which Moscow carried out its threat and cut off supplies to these countries.

According to Moscow, about half of the foreign importers of Russian gas have already opened accounts in Gazprombank to pay for the scheme proposed by the Kremlin, which provides for the conversion of foreign currency into roubles.

Alexandr Novak, the Russian deputy prime minister, defended that this measure seeks to “guarantee the entry of foreign currency, its conversion into roubles, and the payment in roubles of the supplied gas”.

According to the official Russian news agency TASS, more than 20 companies have already opened accounts in Gazprombank, in accordance with the Kremlin’s demands. These allegedly include the Italian energy company Eni, the German Uniper consortium, and the French company Engie. 

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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