Some media reports, citing Russian news agency TASS, say Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced that his government, together with Austrian oil company OMV, has agreed to pay for Russian gas imports in rubles.
According to TASS, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Wednesday that the Austrian side, represented by Austrian oil and gas company OMV, accepted Russia's conditions for paying for Russian gas supplies in rubles by opening an account with a Russian bank. "We, that is, OMV, accepted the terms of payment, as did the German government. The terms were found to be in line with the terms of the sanctions. This was important for us," he cited as saying at a press conference
Meanwhile, republicworld.com reported yesterday that Nehammer said that Austria will continue to pay for Russian gas in Euros and stick to the jointly agreed EU sanctions to ‘point & comma’.
Shortly after the Russian state-owned gas agency, Gazprom, announced a ban on gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria over refusal to pay in Russian currency, Nehammer reportedly took to Twitter and slammed reports claiming Austria decided to shift in the mode of payment for Russian gas.
"Austria is sticking to the jointly agreed European Union sanctions to the point and comma," Nehammer clarified, according to republicworld.com.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered on March 23 that unfriendly states must pay for Russian gas in rubles, saying that Moscow would refuse to accept payments under gas contracts with those states in "compromised" currencies, particularly meaning dollars and euros.
