French President Emmanuel Macron told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin it is impossible to pay in rubles for gas imports.

Iran PressEurope: Earlier on Tuesday, March 29, European Commission (EC) spokesman Eric Mamer said the European Union is rejecting Russia’s demand to pay for gas in rubles.

In a phone conversation with Putin, Macron also confirmed his readiness to conduct a humanitarian rescue operation in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol," the official said, adding that conditions for such a step have not yet been created.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with the cabinet of ministers on March 23 that sales of natural gas and other exports from Russia to Europe and the United States would soon be converted into rubles.

The Russian list of hostile states which initially included only two countries, the United States and the Czech Republic, was significantly expanded in March following the unprecedented economic sanctions imposed on Moscow by the West. It now includes all EU members, Ukraine, the UK, Canada, Japan and others – the nations that have condemned Russia’s offensive against Ukraine.

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