“Because he especially hurts himself a lot with it,” he says in the television program Buitenhof. “It is not for nothing that he is currently putting pressure on small customers in particular,” Timmermans thinks. “He prefers to keep the big boys on his side because that’s about the only source of income he has left.”
Fast without Russian gas
Timmermans also emphasizes that everything is aimed at getting rid of Russian gas as quickly as possible.
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A disruption of the gas supply is something to take into account, says Timmermans. But he emphasizes that stockpiling by the EU member states is ‘going well’ so far. Moreover, there are already plenty of talks with alternative suppliers who can quickly take over the supply from Russia.
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Russia already turned off the gas tap to Poland, Bulgaria and Finland, because those countries refused to pay for gas in rubles. “Until now, we have always been able to respond well to that,” says Timmermans. Those countries could be quickly supplied with gas from other sources.
Contracts are clear
Timmermans reiterates that it is against the sanctions imposed to pay for gas in rubles, although member states such as Germany and Italy are reportedly pushing for this to be allowed. “You have to pay, and that is also stated in the contracts with Russia, in euros,” said the European Commissioner.
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