Of . – 07/30/2022 10:22 (act 07/30/2022 18:44)
According to its own statements, Latvia intends to stop importing Russian gas from January 2023. ©Portal/Dado Ruvic/Illustration (image of symbol)
According to Gazprom, Latvia has shut off its gas supply. Deliveries were halted because gas extraction conditions were violated, according to Russia’s biggest supplier.
The state-owned company did not provide details of the violations.
Latvian utility: Get gas from Russia – but not from Gazprom
Latvijas Gaze, a Latvian utility, said on Friday that it buys gas from Russia but not from Gazprom. “We received from another supplier,” said the company. The provider name is a trade secret. The deputy secretary of state at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Edijs Saicans, said on Saturday that the measure should not have major consequences for his country.
Latvia announced that it would start supplying gas from Russia by the end of 2022
In March, Russia required Gazprom’s European customers to pay their bills in rubles instead of euros or dollars as before. The move is seen as a move to support Russia’s currency following economic sanctions imposed on Russia following its attack on Ukraine. The EU Commission described a response to the Russian demand as a breach of sanctions. Latvijas Gaze, like some other Gazprom customers, has stated that it will continue to pay for Russian gas in euros. Latvia had also announced that it would only buy gas from Russia until the end of the year. Latvia’s neighbor, Lithuania, already dispenses with Russian gas.
Russia closed gas taps for several countries
In connection with the currency dispute, Russia has closed the gas taps of several countries. Finland, Denmark, Poland, Bulgaria and the Netherlands are no longer provided. In addition, Gazprom has reduced deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany, which also affects Austria. Gazprom presents technical reasons as justification. The German government described this as a pretext for a politically motivated decision.