Bulgaria and Poland split over Russian energy ties

Bulgaria and Poland split over Russian energy ties

Moscow: Russian energy giant Gazprom on Wednesday halted gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland for failing to pay for gas deliveries in rubles. This is clearly the Kremlin's toughest response yet to several rounds of sanctions imposed by the West for the invasion of Ukraine. Poland and Bulgaria are the first countries to have their gas cut off by Europe's main supplier since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine on February 24. Poland's government said it was told by its Russian supplier, Gazprom, on April 26 that the country's gas supply from Russia would be halted from April 27. Russia is clearly flexing its muscles after Warsaw unveiled sanctions on 50 entities and individuals including Gazprom, Russia's largest gas company, which supplies 55% of Poland's annual consumption of 21 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year. The move also followed Warsaw's refusal to pay Gazprom in rubles. Russian President Vladimir Putin, said at the end of March that Gazprom's foreign contractors from "hostile countries" must only pay for Russian gas in rubles. Most EU countries, including Poland, Bulgaria and Germany, did not agree to do so. The only EU leader who had suggested he would pay Gazprom in