Live: EU prepares for showdown with Russia over oil and gas

Live: EU prepares for showdown with Russia over oil and gas

The European Union warned member states Monday to prepare for a possible complete breakdown in gas supplies from Russia, insisting it would not cede to Moscow's demand that imports be paid for in rubles. Follow FRANCE 24’s liveblog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2). 





12:18am: EU prepares for showdown with Russia over oil and gas

The European Union warned member states Monday to prepare for a possible complete breakdown in gas supplies from Russia, insisting it would not cede to Moscow’s demand that imports be paid for in rubles.

The European Commission will on Tuesday propose to member states a new package of sanctions to punish President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine, including an embargo on Russian oil, officials said.

But energy and environment ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday addressed the larger and potentially more complicated issue of Russia’s natural gas, upon which several countries – including EU top economy Germany – depend for much of their power generation.

Moscow has demanded clients from “unfriendly countries” – including EU member states – pay for gas in rubles, a way to sidestep Western financial sanctions against its central bank. It has cut off Bulgaria