Orsted, a Danish energy company, announced Tuesday that Russian gas delivery to Denmark will be suspended starting June 1, at 6 a.m. local. Orsted had refused to pay in roubles and Orsted had not paid.
"As there is no direct gas pipeline from Russia to Denmark it will not be possible for Russia to suspend gas supply to Denmark. Orsted stated in a statement that this assumes that Denmark will need to purchase more gas on European markets.
Russia announced it would only accept payments for natural gas deliveries in Russian rubles. Buyers will need to open bank accounts, or risk losing their deliveries.
This is in response to a string of international sanctions against Moscow that were imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Denmark consumes 18% of its energy each year from gas. Three-quarters of all the gas consumed in 2019 was produced domestically. Russia is the largest importer of natural gas.
