OREANDA-NEWS. If the Europeans refuse to pay for Russian gas in rubles, they will no longer receive “gratuitous” fuel, and they will not be able to find other suppliers that could replace Russia in Europe, Alexander Pasechnik, head of the analytical department of the National Energy Security Fund, is convinced. He called "a drop in the ocean" additional gas supplies that could get to Europe not from Russia, Moskva 24 writes.

If they do not act according to the new rules proposed by our president, then, accordingly, they will not receive free gas. You have to understand that gas will not come to them without payment. There are no backup scenarios. American liquefied gas is not enough. And other supply channels are very minor. Norwegian gas or Azerbaijani, additional supplies are all a drop in the ocean compared to the volumes that go under long-term contracts to Europe via Gazprom's pipelines, Pasechnik said.

On March 28, German Economy and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck said that the G7 countries had agreed to reject Russia's demand to pay for energy imports in rubles. According to him, payments in rubles are unacceptable and companies must continue to comply with the provisions of existing contracts.

In response, the Kremlin said that Russia does not plan to engage in charity and that natural gas will not be supplied to Europe free of charge. In turn, Russia's permanent representative to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, stressed that Europe's refusal of Russian energy carriers would be "to a certain extent suicidal."