German Economy Minister: On gas payments, will not be blackmailed by Russia’s Putin

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a speech in Berlin on Thursday that, regarding gas payments, Germany will not be blackmailed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and reiterated that gas payments will be made in euros. Putin had earlier announced that payments for gas must be made in roubles as of 1 April. 

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, speaking alongside Habeck, said that France and Germany are preparing for a possible scenario that Russian gas flows are halted and that both countries are prepared for anything Putin might decide on gas. We are totally determined to protect households from the fallout of the current energy crisis, Le Maire noted.