Russia says will not cut gas to more European customers as ruble scheme working

The Russian government says it has no intention to cut gas supplies to any more European countries as Moscow’s scheme of receiving gas payments in rubles is working as planned.

Speaking in his daily conference on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that everyone who was to be cut off from supplies was not receiving Russian gas.

“The system is functioning … and those who receive the gas are working under the new system,” Peskov said.

Asked whether new gas cuts should be expected from Moscow, he said: “No.”

So far, Russia’s state-owned Gasprom has cut supplies to Denmark’s Orsted and to Shell Energy for its contract to supply gas to Germany.

It has also cut supplies to Bulgaria, Poland and Finland for refusing to make payments for Russian gas in rubles under the new scheme.

Most of the European companies are trying to comply with Moscow’s payment scheme, in order to maintain their gas imports from the energy-rich country.

Baltic Sea Drills 

On the military front, 60 Russian ships and 40 aircraft took part in military exercises in the strategic Baltic Sea Thursday, amid the simmering tension with the West.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that ships of its Baltic fleet will “perform training tasks for the defense of sea lanes and fleet bases”. The maneuvers will also take place on land at training grounds in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

The drills are part of Russia’s response to Finland and Sweden’s bid to join NATO. If the membership of the Nordic nations is approved, Russia will become the only non-NATO country on the Baltic Sea.