Europe Switched to Paying Gazprom in Rubles, 90-95% of Previous Volumes, Deputy PM Says

ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) - Most of Gazprom's European clients have switched to paying for gas in rubles, which is about 90-95% of the supplied volumes, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"Those who expressed a desire to switch, they switched, I think, about 90-95 percent, if we take into account the total volume of consumption," he said, speaking about gas buyers in Europe and payment in rubles.

In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government and Gazprom to switch to ruble payments for gas deliveries to the countries that imposed sanctions on Russia over the special military operation in Ukraine.

Gazprom has already stopped gas deliveries to the importers in Bulgaria, Poland, Finland and the Netherlands, since these countries had rejected the new payment scheme.