The EU will no longer be blackmailed by Russia over energy supplies to the continent, said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

“Proposals by Moscow that the EU pay for oil and gas in rubles would not be permitted as this circumvented sanctions. This would be a unilateral decision and a clear breach of contract. We will not allow our sanctions to be circumvented. The time when energy could be used to blackmail us is over”, - she said.