Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom has stopped supplying Latvia with gas after previously cutting off the supply to some European countries. According to Gazprom, Latvia has violated the "conditions for gas withdrawal”, without giving any further details.
It is unclear which conditions are being violated, but it might be related to the refusal of Latvia to pay for Russian gas in roubles. Payment in roubles is a demand of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Gazprom.
Latvian energy company Latvijas Gāze considers these conditions inapplicable because the gas they import does not come from Gazprom. It is unclear from which company the Russian gas comes, because it would be confidential information.
Latvia is highly dependent on Russian gas, around 90% of the gas consumed by Latvians comes from Russia. Due to the war in Ukraine, the country wants to reduce this dependence, with the ultimate aim of getting no gas at all from Russia by January 2023.
