The Latest Breaking News from Gazprom

On Wednesday, oil was steady after Russia cut gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland. However, lingering concerns about Asian COVID-19 related lockdowns (especially in China) weigh on economic growth, and oil demand constrains the prices, writes Reuters. Brent crude futures rose $0.26, or 0.30%, to $105.25 a barrel by 0823 GMT. U.S.…

Kremlin accused of blackmail while Gazprom claims supply halted because of failure to pay in roubles. Plus, Santa takes on Sarah Palin

The EU's chief executive on Wednesday branded as "blackmail" Russian giant Gazprom's move to halt supplies to some European customers, but said the bloc was working on a coordinated response to Moscow's escalation.

Vladimir Putin has demanded that ‘unfriendly’ countries pay for gas in roubles

Poland and Bulgaria accuse Gazprom of breaching contracts after it cuts off gas, demands payments in Russian roubles.

Bulgaria has paid for Russian gas deliveries for April and supplier Gazprom will be in breach of its current contract if it halts the flow, energy minister Alexander Nikolov told reporters on Wednesday.

Russia's Gazprom cut Poland and Bulgaria off from its gas on Wednesday for refusing to pay in roubles, and threatened to do the same to others, cranking up retaliation for Western sanctions imposed for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The European Union warned Russia on Wednesday it would not bend to "blackmail" over its support for Kyiv, after the Kremlin cut off gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland. Russia's President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, warned that if Western forces intervene in Ukraine, they will face a "lightning-fast" military response. "We…

Russia’s state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom says it has cut gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after they have refused to pay for the shipments in rubles