Russia has said it will not cut off gas exports to Europe yet in a standoff over its demand to be paid in roubles. Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday stating buyers must pay in roubles through Russian bank accounts from Friday. The Kremlin said this would not affect shipments which were already paid for, with payments for deliveries after 1 April due in mid-April at the earliest. The country is seeking to shore up the rouble as Western sanctions bite. “Does this mean that if there is no confirmation in roubles, then gas supplies will be cut off from 1 April? No, it doesn’t, and it doesn’t follow from the decree,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. The EU said it was talking to energy companies about how to pay for gas. Ditte Juul Jorgensen, the director general of the European Commission energy directorate, tweeted that […]