Russian energy giant Gazprom said it was leaving its business in Germany amid a dispute between the two countries over Moscow’s insistence on paying for Russian gas in rubles rather than euros, Reuters reported.
It was not immediately clear how the move would affect Russian gas supplies, on which Germany is so dependent.
The company has stated that it will not be part of Gazprom Germania GMBH and all of its assets, including Gazprom Marketing & Trading Ltd. She did not provide more details.
German newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Thursday that Germany’s economy ministry is considering a takeover of Gazprom and Rosneft’s operations in the country amid concerns over energy security. The Kremlin said on Friday that any such move would be a violation of international law.
Gazprom Germania is based in Berlin and its sole shareholder is Gazprom Export, a subsidiary of Gazprom.
The German company has subsidiaries, including in Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the introduction of payments for Russian gas in rubles with “hostile” countries. Germany rejected the demands, and the German economy minister said on Thursday that Putin would not “blackmail” him.