Kremlin Not Ruling Out New Gas Payment Mechanism May Be Applied for Paying Public Debt

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The gas supply settlement mechanism recently proposed by Moscow — paying in rubles via the conversion — has shown its convenience and can be applied for public debt payments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"In general, the practice, for example, of the gas payment system has shown its convenience for both sellers and buyers in the current conditions. And what is wrong with using it [for public debt payments] — only in reverse order," Peskov told reporters.

Previously, Moscow introduced a decree instructing the government and Gazprom to switch gas payments to rubles after several countries imposed restrictions on Russia in response to the special operation in Ukraine.

While some countries said they were ready to adapt to the scheme, others said they won't pay in rubles. For example, Poland and Bulgaria refused to pay in rubles, and Russia ceased gas supplies to the two nations.