Russia-Ukraine latest news: Zelensky calls for Russia to pay war compensation

Russia has stopped providing natural gas to Finland, which has angered Moscow by applying for Nato membership, after the Nordic country refused to pay supplier Gazprom in rubles.

Following Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has asked clients from “unfriendly countries” – including EU member states – to pay for gas in rubles, a way to sidestep Western financial sanctions against its central bank.

Gazprom said in a statement Saturday that it had “completely stopped gas deliveries” as it had not received ruble payments from Finland’s state-owned energy company Gasum “by the end of the working day on May 20”.

Gazprom said it had supplied 1.49 billion cubic metres of natural gas to Finland in 2021, equal to about two thirds of the country’s gas consumption.