Decree on terms of payment for Russian gas extended to July 1

MOSCOW. March 31 (Interfax) - The presidential decree on the conditions of payment for Russian gas has been extended for another quarter to July 1, 2026.

This refers to the decree of March 1, 2022 "On the special procedure for foreign buyers' fulfillment of obligations to Russian suppliers of natural gas."

Initially the arrangement presumed payment only through Gazprombank (GPB) , but at the end of 2024 the phrase "authorized bank" in the decree, meaning GPB, was replaced with "Russian credit institution," meaning any Russian bank.

Acceptance of payment this way was allowed until the end of the first quarter of 2025, and then it was extended several times. The new decree extending the terms, dated March 31, 2026 (No. 209), was posted on the official website for legal information on Tuesday.

GPB said earlier that gas buyers have thus been granted a "deferral to obtain the necessary licenses or lift restrictions on work with the authorized bank, Gazprombank, in this period."