OREANDA-NEWS. Immediately after the speech of Russian President Vladimir Putin, wholesale gas prices in Britain rose by 18%. This is reported by the Daily Express.

Immediately after Putin's speech on Russian television, wholesale gas prices in Britain rose by 18%, the publication said.

The article says that the EU's dependence on Russian gas has not decreased, and Gazprom continues to pump 384 million cubic meters of fuel to Europe every day.

By his actions, the Russian leader puts Europe before a choice: either support and accept payment in rubles, or freeze without gas, follows from the publication.

On March 23, Putin, during a meeting with the Russian cabinet of ministers, announced that the sale of natural gas and other exports from Russia to European countries and the United States would soon be converted to rubles. He turned to the Bank of Russia and the government with an instruction to determine the procedure for making financial transactions with Europe in rubles within one week.

“I have decided to implement a set of measures in the shortest possible time to transfer payment — let’s start with this — for our natural gas supplied to the so-called unfriendly countries, for Russian rubles,” Putin said.

He turned to the Bank of Russia and the government with an instruction to determine the procedure for making financial transactions with Europe in rubles within one week.

Putin also instructed to give Gazprom a directive on the speedy transfer of all contracts for gas supplies in rubles.