European countries, which depend on Russia for fuel and gas, are facing various problems with the exchange of rubles.
The European Union (EU) has said it considers Russia’s suspension of gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria for refusing to buy gas with the ruble.
Russia, which accounted for 41 percent of the EU’s total gas imports in 2019, is expected to cut off supplies, greatly affecting countries that supply gas through imports, including Germany and Italy, and worsen the situation in Europe as demand for gas increases in the winter.
The United States, Russia, the world’s third-largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia, shipped the bulk of its 50 million barrels a day of crude oil to European countries.
As an alternative to Russia, Bulgaria is planning to import gas from countries including Azerbaijan, Turkey and Greece. Other countries, including Qatar, Algeria and Nigeria, are considered to be lagging behind European countries due to practical difficulties in importing gas.