Russian gas producer Gazprom said on Saturday it had stopped sending gas to Latvia after accusing it of violating supply conditions, a move the Baltic country said would have little impact on its gas supplies.
Russia has already cut off gas supplies to Poland, Bulgaria, Finland, Netherlands and Denmark, which refused to pay for gas in line with an order by President Vladimir Putin requiring rouble accounts to be set up in a Russian bank.
Russia has also halted gas sales to Shell Energy Europe in Germany. In a statement on Saturday, Gazprom did not specify which gas supply conditions Latvia, a EU and Nato military alliance member bordering Russia, had allegedly violated.
Edijs Saicans, deputy state secretary on energy policy at the Latvian economy ministry, said Gazprom’s move would have little effect given that Latvia has already decided to ban Russian gas imports from January 1, 2023.
“We do not see any major impacts from such a move,” he said. Gazprom’s announcement came a day after Latvian energy firm Latvijas Gaze said it was buying gas from Russia and paying in euros rather than the roubles required when trading with Gazprom.