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Russia wants to transfer contracts for gas payments in rubles to avoid application of 'Iran style' sanctions – Zerkal
KYIV. May 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Russia’s attempts to transfer contracts for gas payments in rubles suggest avoiding the possible application of the "Iran style" sanctions, Lana Zerkal, adviser to the Minister of Energy of Ukraine, has said.
"This is not about Gazprombank, this is about the payment system as a whole. They are worried that the money may not go to Russia, but will be accumulated somewhere in the accounts. We are now proposing the introduction of the "Iran style" sanctions, when gas is supplied, and the money is held in accounts in the EU. Under the current system of contracts, which is prescribed, the buyer must simply transfer the funds, and this is considered payment for the product, in this case gas," she said in an interview with Radio NV on Saturday.
According to Zerkal, the Russian Federation wants to change this system so that it is the conversion of currency into rubles on the GPB account that is considered the moment of settlement.
"That is, this is a significant change in the contractual terms, which will then not allow the application of the "Iran style" sanctions. The Russians expect that they will pass this, and they will be able to blackmail everyone to switch to another payment system," she said.
As reported, Ukraine proposes to apply the "Iran style" sanctions against gas transported to Europe via pipelines, which assumes that payment for the resource will be kept in special accounts until Russia stops military aggression in Ukraine and compensates for the losses.
According to the resolution signed on March 31, 2022 on a special procedure for the fulfillment by foreign buyers of obligations to Russian suppliers of natural gas, payment for Russian pipeline gas supplied after April 1 to certain foreign counterparties shall be made exclusively in rubles.
