Reuters reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday that, as of tomorrow, January 1st, Europe will have to pay for Russian gas in rubles (the official Russian currency).

The decision comes in retaliation for the European sanctions adopted because of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

According to the news agency, contracts will be stopped if these payments are not made in Russian currency.

"To buy Russian natural gas, they will have to open accounts in rubles in Russian banks. It is from these accounts that payments for gas delivered from tomorrow will be made," Putin said.

"Nobody sells us anything for free, and we're not going to do charity either, meaning existing contracts will be discontinued," he added quoted by the source.

The Kremlin downplayed the purpose of the measure that forces Europeans to pay gas bills in rubles rather than euros, claiming that it is a simple matter of currency exchange.

Russia supplies about a third of Europe's gas, but so far Western companies and governments have rejected this demand for payment in rubles as a violation of existing contracts, which are fixed in euros or dollars.

Russian gas is crucial for the EU, which has been trying since the beginning of the military offensive in Ukraine to find ways to obviate this dependence.

The decision to switch to billing in rubles allows Russia to support its national currency, which has been heavily damaged by Western sanctions, but will deprive the Russian regime of a very important source of foreign exchange.

It should be noted that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was condemned by the international community in general, which responded by sending arms to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia that affect practically all sectors, from banking to sports.