The Western partners were not enthusiastic about the Russian government's initiative to pay for gas in rubles. Main European buyers have so far refused to pay in rubles, saying that this demand breaches the terms of their purchase contracts.
Recently, Robert Habeck, the Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, announced the Western countries' decision on this issue. It was made at the G7 summit. "The answer of the G7 states is unequivocal: the treaties will be respected," he stated. That is, if the contract stipulates specific currencies for settlement, the settlement will be made only in those currencies. The minister noted that the partner governments have a common view on this. He added that they would not allow Russia to split the G7 unity.
Western leaders said that this was a unilateral demand and a clear breach of the existing agreements, which have a clearly defined payment format. Notably, it was Russia that insisted on fixing the value in foreign currency when concluding the agreements, as the Russian ruble is rather fluctuating. “Payment in rubles is not acceptable and … we call on the companies concerned not to comply with Putin’s demand,” Habeck added.
