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| Mario Draghi speaking with open hands |
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Wednesday (April 6th) that the ban on gas imports from Russia is not being considered at the EU level, but if a consensus is reached on the issue, Italy will agree to it.
"A gas embargo is not yet on the table and I do not know if it will ever be," Draghi told reporters at a news conference.
He said that if gas flows from Moscow were suspended, Italy still had reserves to cover its needs by the end of October, Radio Free Europe reports.
Italy is heavily dependent on Russia for its gas supplies, but Draghi said that if a consensus emerges at EU level to block gas imports, "we will be absolutely happy to respect it".
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 31 that he had signed a decree stating that foreign buyers must pay in rubles for Russian gas from April 1 and that contracts would be terminated if those payments were not made.