Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said that Italy's Eni and Egyptian state gas holding company EGAS have inked an agreement to increase Egyptian gas production and supply to European consumers.

In a statement, the ministry added that “the agreement aims to achieve optimal development of Egyptian gas reserves by maximizing joint production."

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attended the framework agreement-signing ceremony in Cairo on Wednesday.

It is worth mentioning that European gas prices have risen as sanctions on Russia have been tightened over the war in Ukraine and amid fears of supply disruptions.

Russia: No rubles, no gas

On March 29, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had announced during a briefing in Moscow that Russia will not deliver gas to Europe for free.

When asked what Russia would do if Europe refused to pay for Russian gas in rubles, Peskov said that those issues would be resolved as they come

However, Peskov stressed that the difficulty of the process notwithstanding, gas will not be supplied for free to Europe.

"This can be said with absolute certainty. In our situation, it is hardly possible and hardly advisable to engage in pan-European charity," he said. 

The Russian president had said on March 23 that his country would stop taking payments in currencies that have been "compromised", though he did note that Russia would continue supplying gas in the volumes fixed in earlier contracts.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said yesterday that all G7 energy ministers agreed that they will not accept Putin's decision and will not comply with it. Habeck also claimed that Putin would not have had taken this decision had he not felt like he had his "back against the wall."