OREANDA-NEWS. Britain will not pay for Russian goods in rubles. This was stated by the representative of the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, writes RIA Novosti with reference to Reuters. Earlier, a number of EU countries also refused to pay in the currency of the Russian Federation.

The Minister for Business, Energy and Industry, in cooperation with his colleagues, made it clear that they would not be paid in rubles, he said.

Meanwhile, the head of the analytical department of the National Energy Security Fund, Alexander Pasechnik, expressed confidence that if the Europeans refuse to pay for Russian gas in rubles, they will stop receiving "gratuitous" fuel, and they will not be able to find other suppliers that could replace Russia in Europe. He called "a drop in the ocean" additional supplies of gas that could reach Europe from outside Russia.

On March 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent an instruction to the government to issue a directive to Gazprom to change the currency of payments for natural gas in existing contracts into rubles. According to the president, the changes will affect only the payment currency in which subsequent transactions will be made.