Turkey begins to pay Russian gas in rubla

Rubla is the official Russian currency.

So Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Tuesday.

In an interview for broadcaster T RT, he said that in the coming months the share of payments in local currency on Russian energy imports would increase.

Russia, hit by Western sanctions for its invasion in Ukraine, is increasingly demanding from its energy buyers to pay in rubles to help strengthen its currency.

Most international energy deals are made in US or euro dollars.

Turkey has pledged that it will gradually start paying with rubles for Russian energy imports. That pledge took place at the summit between Erdogan and Putin in Soci in September.