Brussels says EU states agree they are not willing to pay for Russian gas in roubles

EU countries all agree that they will not pay Russia directly in roubles for their imports of gas, noting that the deadline for next payments was expected to be May 20, senior European Union officials said on Thursday.

"What we do know, and there is consensus on this from all member states, is that none is willing to pay" in roubles, the official told a news briefing, adding that the EU Commission did not have an overview of how many buyers have opened accounts for gas payments with Gazprombank.