Society's Child

EU leaders call Putin's rubles-for-gas plan breach of contract

RFE/RL
Thu, 24 Mar 2022 20:51 UTC

Several leaders from European Union members have scoffed at Russia's demand that some "unfriendly" countries will be forced to pay for its natural gas and oil in rubles, saying the move is a breach of contract.

In a move seen aimed at bolstering Russia's beleaguered currency in the face of crippling economic and financial penalties over its invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow will no longer accept payments in dollars or euros, what he called "compromised currencies" from countries that have imposed the sanctions.

While Putin did not name any countries, it is understood the policy would target Britain, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United States, and members of the European Union.

"This would be a unilateral decision and a clear breach of contract, and it would be an attempt to circumvent the sanctions," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the start of an EU summit in Brussels on March 24.

"We will not allow our sanctions to be circumvented...the time when energy could be used to blackmail us is over," she added.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, prompting the sanctions and global condemnation.

The sanctions have sent the Russian currency into freefall, while cutting Russia out of international money transfers and freezing its foreign currency abroad.

Putin gave the government and central bank one week to figure out the details on moving operations into the ruble, with energy giant Gazprom charged with making the corresponding changes to contracts.

Russian gas accounts for around 40 percent of Europe's total consumption. Daily EU gas imports from Russia this year have varied between 200 million euros to 800 million euros.

"This is basically a breach of contract, this is important to understand," Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said of Putin's move.

Added Slovenian Prime Minister Janesz Jansa, "I don't think anybody in Europe knows what rubles look like, nobody will pay in rubles."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Moscow's demands "humiliating" and warned countries potentially affected by the move not to give in.

"If any EU country bows to Putin's humiliating demands to pay for oil and gas in rubles, it will be like helping Ukraine with one hand and helping Russians kill Ukrainians with the other. I urge relevant countries to make a wise and responsible choice," he said on Twitter.

Comment: EU leaders can cry like children all they want about how they think Putin's counter-measures are unfair. But at the end of the week they're still going to have to pay in rubles.

Reader Comments

Psstoffgoy · 2022-03-24T21:52:26Z

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen aka parasite, do you really think Putin gives a shit what you think?

"We will not allow our sanctions to be circumvented...the time when energy could be used to blackmail us is over," she added.

So I guess she/it/he will just be happy to make the common sheeple suffer, plenty of "contracts" aren't part of this show and still being executed.

YesAllTruthHurts · 2022-03-24T23:30:14Z

Psstoffgoy Ursula von der Lüge exemplifies the problem with the entire politwhore kast. These people are always isolated from the consequences of their depravities. When they will be the first to taste their own medicine, things will change in a whiffy.

Psstoffgoy · 2022-03-25T07:26:13Z

YesAllTruthHurts When they will be the first to taste their own medicine, things will change in a whiffy.

I believe the first thing we need to do is stop looking at them as people and applying the same logic as if they were human people. It’s more than obvious they don’t think and act like normal humans. I agree, they have never been held accountable for their evil deeds, likely because they have never been clearly and properly exposed. Some believe this is what the revelation is all about.

Xerox · 2022-03-24T22:02:38Z

Von der Leyen's father's grandparents were the cotton merchant Carl Albrecht (1875–1952) and Mary Ladson Robertson (1883–1960), an American who descended from a planter family in Charleston, South Carolina. Her American ancestors played a significant role in the British colonization of the Americas, and she descends from many of the first English settlers of Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Barbados, and from numerous colonial governors. Among her ancestors were Carolina governors John Yeamans, James Moore, Robert Gibbes, Thomas Smith and Joseph Blake, Pennsylvania deputy governor Samuel Carpenter, and the American revolutionary and lieutenant governor of South Carolina James Ladson.[12][13][14] The Ladson family were large plantation owners and her ancestor James H. Ladson owned over 200 slaves by the time slavery in the United States was abolished; her relatives and ancestors were among the wealthiest in British North America in the 18th century, and she descends from one of the largest slave traders in the Thirteen Colonies, Joseph Wragg. Carl and Mary were the parents of Ursula von der Leyen's grandfather, the psychologist Carl Albrecht, who was known for developing a new method of meditation and for his research on mystical consciousness.

Se wikipedia Albrecht family; Ladson family

Yupo · 2022-03-24T22:15:43Z

Russia has been cut off from SWIFT transfers, but is still willing to honor the gas contracts? Of course Russia has to be paid in Rubles. Duh! What did they think would happen? Or maybe I have it wrong about the SWIFT business? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Lemuel Gulliver · 2022-03-25T11:23:43Z

Yupo No, you are not wrong. Not only has Russia been cut off (at least, its seven largest banks,) from SWIFT, but the Central Bank of Russia has been suspended from BIS, the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland. The BIS, founded in 1931 to facilitate clearing of payments between central banks of its member countries, has NEVER before suspended a member bank, not even during World War Two.

Yupo · 2022-03-25T12:10:34Z

Lemuel Gulliver My goodness. Thank you for this information. Such bullies.

sinip · 2022-03-24T22:16:23Z

EU should get familiar with the so-called "golden rule".

He who has gold, makes the rules.

Tsidkenu · 2022-03-24T22:28:21Z

"This is basically breach of contract..."

Can I see a copy of such a contract that specifies the payment mode must be Euros or USD?

No? Just more evidence-free propaganda? I thought so...

Gnostic ·

Dissolve the EU

· 2022-03-24T23:20:26Z

sinip · 2022-03-24T23:30:43Z

Dissolve the EU

Already ongoing.

Gnostic ·

sinip Amen

· 2022-03-25T00:22:46Z

Demore · 2022-03-25T00:18:17Z

They can huff and they can puff and Putin's middle finger will not bend.

mediumfoot · 2022-03-25T00:24:41Z

The central banks siezed Russia's foreign reserves, so at that point the contracts became moot. Seems to me that Russia was not the initial cause for the breach in the payment system.

ReRan · 2022-03-25T02:09:55Z

mediumfoot Good point.

Good Optics · 2022-03-25T00:48:30Z

You don't like to pay in rubles, well tough gazook (quoth Richard Dreyfuss)

codis · 2022-03-25T06:17:15Z

Several leaders from European Union members have scoffed at Russia's demand that some "unfriendly" countries will be forced to pay for its natural gas and oil in rubles, saying the move is a breach of contract.

It is painful to realize you are not as powerful as you think, or as your master [Link] persuaded you to.

And it hurts if you opponent pays back in his own coin.

Even more hurts it to see all the wonderful Great Reset plans going down the drain ...

Psstoffgoy · 2022-03-25T07:16:07Z

codis Even more hurts it to see all the wonderful Great Reset plans going down the drain ...

I’m starting to think the one world government thing was just a distraction, they already control everything, the covid hoax should have proven that to anyone looking. They need this imaginary division of people to extract wealth and energy from them, people united in anyway is their end.

Lemuel Gulliver · 2022-03-25T11:30:04Z

As I replied above to Yupo:

"Not only has Russia been cut off (at least, its seven largest banks,) from SWIFT, but the Central Bank of Russia has been suspended from BIS, the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland. The BIS, founded in 1931 to facilitate clearing of payments between central banks of its member countries, has NEVER before suspended a member, not even during World War Two."

And these EU countries have the brass balls to call Russia's demand for payment in Rubles a "Breach of Contract?" What they have done is an act of war, nothing less. Russia would be within its legal rights to recognize a state of war between itself and the EU, initiated by the EU, and cut off all shipments of every commodity and all trade with them.

Fortunately for Russia, it has China to fall back upon. China can supply Russia almost everything it would need to import, and will happily buy everything Russia used to export to the EU and the USA, including gas, oil, and every other commodity.

Lemuel Gulliver · 2022-03-25T11:39:42Z

Lemuel Gulliver Moreover, the EU countries have literally stolen half of Russia's foreign currency reserves - about $300 billion dollars worth, freezing the Russian Central bank accounts in their countries, and they are unlikely to ever give it back, just like the Bank of England stole Venezuela's gold deposits in its vaults, handing its ownership over to Juan Guiado (remember him? I thought not,) and has never returned that gold to Venezuela. Why should Russia deal with a bunch of crooks and thieves?

codis · 2022-03-25T11:32:08Z

"This is basically a breach of contract, this is important to understand," Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said of Putin's move.

Who broke the contract first ?

Added Slovenian Prime Minister Janesz Jansa, "I don't think anybody in Europe knows what rubles look like, nobody will pay in rubles."

Don't worry, you get used to it.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Moscow's demands "humiliating" and warned countries potentially affected by the move not to give in.

No payment, no goods. Why don't they just leave the table ?

And by the way, this is only the beginning. Russia and China will very soon peg their currency to gold, and this is were the buck stops.

Lemuel Gulliver · 2022-03-25T11:40:07Z

codis See my comment above!

Psstoffgoy · 2022-03-25T11:59:40Z

codis Both sides of this show are controlled by the same group and it’s difficult to predict what outcome they are trying to achieve other than destroying the dollar and everything connected to it and also to reaffirm the age old division of east vs west. IDK, maybe they decided to scrap the NWO when they witnessed how fast people reconnected when they removed all the barriers and allowed free travel.

Never ever, carry "Tater Tots" in a pocket in your cargo pants...

3.1415926535

Fingers crossed for a Mothra La Niña to offset the Godzilla devastation.

3.1415926535

Nothing is an accident.

JTF Truth

Having an open border with Mexico for four years was a bad idea too.

JohnDukes

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ReRan

Society's Child

EU leaders call Putin's rubles-for-gas plan breach of contract

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