Italian PM says Germany has already paid Russia in rubles for gas

According to the Prime Minister of Italy, European companies can pay for gas in rubles without violating the sanctions, as there has not yet been an official explanation. Earlier, German VNG agreed to pay for Russian gas through a Gazprombank account.

Germany, which is the largest importer of Russian gas, has already paid for fuel supplies in rubles, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said.

“In fact, the evidence we saw yesterday, I think, shows that the largest gas importer in Germany has already paid in rubles,” Draghi said, noting that most Russian gas consumers have already opened ruble accounts with Gazprombank.

The Italian prime minister believes that European companies can pay for gas in rubles without violating the sanctions, since “there is no official statement about what the violation of sanctions means.”

“No one has ever said anything about sanctions for violating payments in rubles,” he stressed.