Ursula von der Leyen accuses Russia of blackmail after the interruption of gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria. “The EU is ready”

“Gazprom’s announcement that it unilaterally stops the delivery of gas to customers in Europe is yet another attempt by Russia to use gas as a tool of blackmail,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen reacted on Wednesday to the Russian giant’s announcement of the gas tap shutdown for Poland and Bulgaria, according to a statement sent by the Community executive.

“This is unjustified and unacceptable,” Ursula von der Leyen believes, adding that this again shows that Russia is not trusted “as a gas supplier.”

The official in Brussels announced that the EU is ready for such a scenario and that the European authorities are in contact with all member states.

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Ursula von der Leyen:

The Head of the European Executive said that a meeting of the gas coordination group is taking place this morning and that the EU will provide a “coordinated response” in this context.

“I will continue to work with European and global leaders to ensure security of energy supply in Europe. Europeans can trust that we are united and in full solidarity with the Member States affected by this new challenge. Europeans can count on our full support,” Ursula von der Leyen stressed.

Gazprom announced on Wednesday that it had completely halted natural gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria, as the two states refused to pay in rubles for the gas supplied.

Poland and Bulgaria are the first countries where gas deliveries are interrupted since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on March 31 that foreign buyers must pay in rubles for Russian gas from April 1.

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