Reporter: If foreign buyers want Russian gas, they will have to pay in (1)roubles from Friday (April 1). That was the message from President (2)Vladimir Putin on Thursday, who signed a (3)decree on the matter.

Vladimir Putin (voice-over): I’ve signed a decree today that sets the rules of the Russian (4)natural gas trade with (5)so-called unfriendly states. We are offering our (6)contracting parties from such countries a clear and (7)transparent agreement: To buy Russian gas they should open ruble accounts in Russian banks and pay for gas from these accounts, delivered starting from tomorrow, April 1 of this year.

Reporter: Western companies and governments have rejected the move as a (8)breach of (9)existing contracts, which are set in euros or dollars. German (10)Chancellor (11)Olaf Scholz was (12)blunt.

Olaf Scholz (voice-over): We have looked at the contracts for the gas supplies and the other supplies, and in these it says that the payment will be in euros, sometimes in dollars, but usually in euros.

Reporter: Russia supplies about (13)a third of Europe’s gas. Energy is therefore a powerful bargaining point for Putin as he tries to (14)hit back against Western (15)sanctions over (16)Ukraine.

Putin (voice-over): If these payments are not being (17)accomplished, we would consider it as buyers’ (18)failure to meet their (19)commitments with all the (20)relevant (21)consequences. Nobody sells anything to us (22)for free. Neither are we going to do charity work. That means the current contracts would be (23)brought to a halt.

Reporter: His decision to (24)enforce rouble payments has (25)boosted the Russian (26)currency after it fell to (27)historic lows following the (28)invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a “special military operation.” (cReuters, April 1, 2022)