After getting their natural gas supply cut off by Russian state-owned oil and gas company Gazprom, Poland and Bulgaria have witnessed their EU neighbors come to their rescue. 

The two countries, which did not accept Russia’s demand to start paying for gas in rubles, are now getting their supply from EU neighbors, according to a statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday. 

“This is something the European Commission has been preparing for, in close coordination and solidarity with Member States and international partners. Our response will be immediate, united and coordinated,” she said in a statement, according to CNN.  

“First, we will ensure that Gazprom’s decision has the least possible impact on European consumers. Today, Member States met in the Gas Coordination Group. Poland and Bulgaria updated us on the situation. Both Poland and Bulgaria are now receiving gas from their EU neighbors,” she added. 

Ursula von der Leyen slammed Russia’s move of using gas to “blackmail” European nations, adding that it is “another provocation from the Kremlin.”

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She further emphasized the need for trustful energy partner nations while assuring the termination of Russian fossil fuels in the European world.

“In the longer term, REPowerEU will also help us move to a more reliable, secure and sustainable energy supply. We will present our plans to speed up the green transition in mid-May. Every euro we invest in renewables and energy efficiency is a down payment on our future energy independence,” she said. 

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Meanwhile, Norway’s Energy Minister Terje Aasland said on Wednesday that the country’s role “as a stable, predictable and long-term supplier of energy to the European market is only becoming more important.”