The energy companies blamed Martin Lewis for the issues, as the consumer champion encouraged people to submit their cash receipts before prices rose. Mr Lewis described their allegations as “demanding”. Mr Putin had repeatedly asked countries to pay for their gas in rubles, but Western countries refused. Details of the Russian leader’s decree suggest he has partially backed down by proposing a compromise mechanism that would allow gas buyers to continue to pay for the commission in euros and dollars. These will then be converted into rubles by Gazprombank. It was not clear on Thursday night whether Western countries were ready to follow the proposal. Leon Izbicki, a gas analyst at Energy Aspects, said: “Our view is that the decree reduces the risk of a complete cessation of Russian flows. It is the compromise we have been waiting for. It’s a way for both parties to save face. “On the one hand, Russia can still say that payments will eventually be made in rubles, while at the same time the European side can say, well, from a technical point of view, payments are still made in euros and US dollars.” Mr Putin said “Russia values its business reputation” and insisted that the country would continue to supply gas to the West if it complied with its demands.
