Poland buys Russian gas from Germany following supply suspension
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Germany and Poland are working together to circumvent Russia's ban on gas exports to Poland, with Berlin helping Warsaw obtain gas in reverse.
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A Gazprom employee operating a natural gas pipeline
Poland has continued buying Russian gas despite Russia's Gazprom suspending direct supplies to the country following a series of aggressive actions. The Russian gas giant said Warsaw was obtaining gas in reverse from Germany in the amount of some 30 million cubic meters per day.
Gazprom announced Wednesday it had suspended gas supplies to the Bulgarian Bulgargaz and Poland's PGNiG from April 27 due to their refusal to pay for gas in rubles as per Moscow's request.
Moscow had asked the West for rubles in return for its gas supplies starting April 1 after the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine. The 27-nation bloc told member states the mechanism the Kremlin proposed required opening euro and ruble accounts with state-controlled Gazprombank, which would be in violation of the sanctions imposed on the country.
"After the suspension of direct supplies, Poland buys Russian gas. But now in Germany, from where it is delivered by reverse to Poland via the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline. The volume - about 30 million cubic meters per day - almost exactly corresponds to the requests under the contract with Gazprom Export in previous days," the company said in a statement.
European stock markets and oil prices surged on Wednesday after enduring heavy losses against the US dollar amid widespread economic unrest, though the euro fell down to its lowest rate against the USD since April 2017.
Following the suspension, four European gas buyers paid for gas deliveries from Russia, complying with the Kremlin's resolution to only accept rubles in exchange for Russian gas, a person close to the Russian Gazprom said on Wednesday.
Other buyers rejecting Moscow's term would not mean Russia cutting gas off more European countries after its halt Wednesday of gas flows to Poland and Bulgaria, as it is likely that further cutoffs would not happen until the second half of May when the next round of payments is due, the same source said, speaking on to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity.
Russia had notified the West that it needed them to pay for gas deliveries in rubles, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying his country would not deliver gas to Europe for free, in a reiteration of President Vladimir Putin's that Russia would not accept anything but rubles for gas deliveries to "unfriendly countries".
The Kremlin also explained on Wednesday that the suspension of natural gas shipments to Poland and Bulgaria was due to their reluctance to pay in rubles and the outcome of hostile acts toward Russia.
