MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/. Foreign companies should understand that they can buy rubles for euros and dollars and pay for gas with them, de facto nothing changes, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.
"Companies must understand that for their currency - for euros, for dollars - they can buy rubles and pay for gas with rubles. That means that de facto almost nothing changes. Nevertheless, this is an instruction from the President [of the Russian Federation], and all options for it are to be calculated until March 31," Peskov said.
He stressed that Moscow is considering a plan of action in case European counterparties refuse gas contracts with Russia.
"Of course," he said responding to the relevant question.
"There is no free gas," Peskov added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered earlier to transfer settlements for Russian gas supplies to unfriendly states into rubles. He said Moscow would refuse to accept payment under gas contracts with those states in "compromised" currencies, including dollars and euros. He ordered the government to instruct Gazprom to make the necessary changes to existing contracts.
On Monday, German Vice-Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck said at the press conference following the talks between the heads of the G7 energy ministries that members of the Group of Seven (G7) do not intend to pay for supplies of Russian gas in rubles.
President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories. After that the US, the EU, the UK and a number of other states announced that they would impose sanctions against Russian legal entities and individuals.