“Local energy companies are looking for a ‘plan’ to comply with sanctions and meet Russia’s demands at the same time”
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(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeon Myeong-hoon = Some EU member states, including Germany and Austria, are considering a plan to pay for Russian gas in rubles, CNN reported on the 28th (local time).
It is judged that the damage would be too great if the supply of Russian gas was completely cut off like Poland and Bulgaria after sticking to Euro and dollar payments.
German energy company Uniper said in a statement on the same day that the payment for Russian gas would be “dramatic for the economy if the supply of Russian gas is cut off” and that “we can change the payment method while complying with EU sanctions” and pay in rubles. indicated the possibility.
Uniper emphasized that “we will continue to pay in euros,” but “we are discussing the specific payment method with the contracting party and we are working closely with the German government.”
German newspaper Reinischepost reported that Uniper is considering ‘a plan to pay in euros to a Russian bank, not to a Russian bank in Europe’.
Before the Ukrainian War, Germany relied on Russian gas at 55%, and recently around 35%. Germany has said it will need Russian gas, at least until next year, to avoid a sharp economic downturn.
Austrian energy company ‘OMV’ said on the same day that it was considering a way to accept the ruble payment request and said, “We are looking for a way to comply with EU sanctions.”
Austria is 80% dependent on Russian gas.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin designated countries participating in Western sanctions as ‘non-friendly countries’ and unilaterally demanded that gas be paid in rubles.
Poland and Bulgaria ignored the request, but the supply of Russian gas was cut off. There are growing concerns that other EU countries could also be targeted.
CNN predicted that gas buyers could use the method of depositing euros and dollars into Russian ‘Gazprom Bank’. Gazprom Bank converts the deposited dollars and euros into rubles and transfers them to Gazprom, a Russian state-owned gas company.
According to CNN, the European Commission (EC), which is the executive branch of the European Union (EU), recently issued relevant guidelines to member states, saying that “it seems possible to follow Russia’s new rules without violating EU legislation.”
However, some analyzes say that ‘bypassing sanctions’ is not as simple as one might think.
“There is a possibility that sanctions may be involved in the exchange of rubles,” said Guershall Ramesh, a senior researcher at the energy-related think tank Listard Energy. .
id@yna.co.kr
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