Russia announced a week ago that after the economic sanctions that had been levelled against it would demand to be paid in rubles for all gas deliveries into Europe. After the Europeans refused it was assumed the Russians would back down. It appears that was mistaken.
“After European nations imported the most gas from Russian sources yesterday in months, scrambling to stock up on supplies as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s deadline to either pay for gas in rubles (or be cut off) came and went, Russian gas giant Gazprom has officially halted all deliveries to Europe via the Yamal-Europe pipeline, a critical artery for European energy supplies.”
This is a very interesting situation. Will Germany back down and pay Russia in rubles? Will this signal the beginning of negotiations between NATO and Russia? Will Biden advise Zelensky to negotiate a quick settlement? We shall see.