Polish and Bulgarian officials say Gazprom will cut off gas supplies starting Wednesday (April 27th).
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland had received notice from Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom that it had cut off gas supplies. Morawiecki announced the news in Berlin after a meeting he had on Tuesday (26.04) with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Morawiecki said the Polish government was prepared to face any supply disruptions from Russia and that gas deposits were filled to 76%. He added that Poland was prepared to “get gas from other possible sources”.
Polish Minister of Environment and Climate Anna Moskwa wrote on Twitter that “there will be no shortage of gas in Polish homes” and that “since the first day of the war we have declared that we are ready for full independence from Russian raw materials.” .
Polish natural gas company PGNiG also confirmed that as of Wednesday, Gazprom will no longer send gas to Poland via the Yamal gas pipeline. PGNiG said in a statement that it was following the situation and is prepared to take gas from other links thanks to a “government strategy of diversifying resources”.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki
Russia will also cut supplies to Bulgaria
The Bulgarian government also announced that since it had not agreed to meet Gazprom’s new demands for payments to be made in rubles, Gazprom had stated that it would cut off gas supplies to Bulgaria starting Wednesday.
“Today, Bulgargas (the state-owned gas company) received the announcement that Gazprom Export supplies will be suspended from April 27, 2022,” reads a statement from the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy.
Bulgaria is almost completely dependent on Russia for gas. The company Bulgargaz said in a statement that “it has fully fulfilled its obligations and made all payments required under the current contract in a timely manner, strictly and in accordance with its terms.”
After Western countries imposed a series of sanctions on Russia over its occupation of Ukraine, the Kremlin warned it would cut off gas supplies if those countries did not pay in rubles.
Poland and other EU countries have refused to pay for natural gas imports in rubles, with Russia trying to stabilize its currency in the face of Western sanctions. European leaders see the demand for ruble payments as a breach of existing contracts with Gazprom./DW