BRUSSELS, September 11. /TASS/. European companies can continue buying Russian natural gas until new sanctions prohibit it, European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said at a press conference in Brussels.
"The companies right now have all legal means to continue purchasing Russian gas. They can do it until sanctions will restrict it," she said.
When one of the reporters asked Simson why she mentioned twice that the EU has not yet sanctioned Russian gas purchases and whether the European Commission is considering a ban on the purchase of Russian natural gas, she replied: "Until the war is ongoing <…> we have to respond. First, we have to help Ukraine rebuild, and second, we must continue with our sanctions. That is the reason why I said "yet" that sanctions on natural gas are not in place [yet]."