Latvian Energy Concern Latvijas Gaze is considering the possibility of buying Russian gas for rubles. The organization studied the new payment rules and reported that such a scheme is acceptable and does not violate Western sanctions, The Moscow Times reports.
“The decision not to pump gas was made given the historically high price of natural gas in April, which would have resulted in an excessively high price for our customers,” the publication says.
The company has signed an agreement with Gazprom for the supply of Russian energy resources to Latvia until 2030.
April 2 chairman of the board of the natural gas system operator Conexus Uldis Bariss stated that since the beginning of the month, Russian natural gas had ceased to flow into Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
According to Barissa, the decision to stop buying gas from Russia was taken because of Moscow’s new rules for settlements in rubles. “If there were still doubts that Russian supplies could be relied upon, then these events clearly show that, from a security point of view, the country is no longer trustworthy,” he clarified.
The refusal of Russian energy resources was also reported in the Ministry of Energy of Lithuania. They said that this was connected with the war in Ukraine and the “energy blackmail” of Russia in Europe.