“Current events clearly show us that there is no longer any more confidence,” said Oldis Paris, CEO of Conax Baltic Grid.
“Since April 1, Russian natural gas no longer flows to Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania,” he told Radio Latvia.
He pointed out that the Baltic countries market is currently dependent on gas reserves stored underground in Latvia.
This step comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to take advantage of Russia’s status as a major source of energy resources.
With the Russian economy faltering due to the unprecedented international sanctions, Putin warned the European Union countries that they must open accounts in rubles to pay for Russian gas, hinting Thursday that the current contracts will be suspended in the event of non-payment.
While the United States banned the import of Russian oil and gas, the European Union continued to receive Russian gas, which in 2201 accounted for about 40 percent of its supplies.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called on European Union countries to follow the example of the Baltic states.
“From this month onwards, there is no more Russian gas in Lithuania,” he said on Twitter.
“Years ago, my country took decisions that allow us today, without any pain, to sever energy ties with the aggressor,” he added, stressing, “If we can do this, the rest of Europe can do it as well.”
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