* Europe has just a month of gas supplies left before Vladimir Putin's threat to turn of gas supply will start biting
* President Putin last night threatened to close down European gas from today if states refuse to pay in roubles
* He said foreign buyers will have to 'open rouble accounts in Russian banks' which can be used to pay for gas
* Move helped shore up the Russian rouble last night as it soared back to its pre-war level of over 80 to a dollar
* Putin announced on March 23 that 'unfriendly' states would have to pay in roubles in retaliation for sanctions
Europe has just a month of gas supplies left before Vladimir Putin's threat to turn off the pipelines if foreign buyers refuse to pay in roubles will start to bite.
The Kremlin said on Friday it would it would not immediately turn off gas exports to Europe as payments on deliveries due after April 1 come in the second half of this month and May.
The revelation comes as the rouble soared back to its pre-war level last night, trading at 82.75 roubles to the dollar, following the Russian President's latest attempt to 'blackmail' states reliant on Moscow's energy in what has been seen as a bid to shore up the currency.
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WNU Editor: Europe gets about 40% of its natural gas from Europe. Any disruptions in this supply will mean rationing, factory shutdowns, and crippling costs.
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