Reuters
EU leaders plan energy security boost, brush off Russian rouble demand
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Union leaders are set to agree at a two-day summit starting on Thursday to jointly buy gas as they seek to cut reliance on Russian fuels, with some saying they would not comply with Moscow’s demand to buy oil and gas using roubles. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Europe’s top gas supplier, pushed already-high energy prices to records and has prompted the EU to pledge to slash reliance on Russian fossil fuels by hiking imports from other countries and quickly expanding renewable energy. Moscow on Wednesday said “unfriendly” countries, including EU member states, must start paying in roubles for Russian oil and gas, a demand some EU leaders said was at odds with supply contracts.
