Kremlin complains of ‘dishonest behavior’
Formally, Zakharova justified the suspension of gas deliveries to OMV by Gazprom by a decree of President Vladimir Putin dated March 31, 2022, which not only stipulates payment in rubles for Russian gas, but also explicitly prohibits gas deliveries after the specified payment deadline. If the arbitration court’s decision regarding damages had been respected in the context of another delivery contract, this would inevitably have led to further non-payments and thus to the free withdrawal of Russian gas. “This is dishonest behavior on the part of the Austrian company,” she commented.