Russia accused of blackmail after gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria halted

theguardian.com:

Russia has been accused of seeking to blackmail the European Union as the energy giant Gazprom confirmed it had halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, prompting crisis talks in capitals across Europe.

In a statement, the Russian supplier said on Wednesday it had acted in response to the failure by the two EU countries to make their payments in roubles.

“Gazprom has completely suspended gas supplies to Bulgargaz and PGNiG due to absence of payments in roubles,” a statement issued by the company said.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, said Moscow should do the same with other “unfriendly” countries.

The immediate consequence of the move by Gazprom was a 20% rise in the wholesale gas price, putting it at almost seven times higher than a year ago.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, condemned the move, saying that fellow EU countries would come to Poland and Bulgaria’s aid.

She said: “The announcement by Gazprom that it is unilaterally stopping delivery of gas to customers in Europe is yet another attempt by Russia to use gas as an instrument of blackmail.

“This is unjustified and unacceptable. And it shows once again the unreliability of Russia as a gas supplier. We are prepared for this scenario. We are in close contact with all member states.”

Von der Leyen added that the commission had been in talks with countries outside Europe to ensure gas supplies.

She said: “We have been working to ensure alternative deliveries and the best possible storage levels across the EU.

“Member states have put in place contingency plans for just such a scenario and we worked with them in coordination and solidarity. A meeting of the gas coordination group is taking place