The European Union says companies can keep buying gas without breaching sanctions, as it softened its stance in a standoff with Moscow over energy supplies.
The European Commission in its revised guidelines to member states said companies should make a clear statement that they consider their obligations fulfilled once they pay in euros or dollars.
The Commission says EU sanctions do not prevent economic operators from opening a bank account in a designated bank for payments due under contracts for the supply of natural gas in a gaseous state, in the currency specified in those contracts.