European countries still buying Russian gas are rushing to find a way to keep paying for supplies after Dec. 20 that won’t violate surprise US sanctions.
Washington last week put sanctions on Gazprombank, which some central European nations use to pay Moscow, raising the risk of a cut-off of gas. The US has been gradually tightening measures to choke off revenue for President Vladimir Putin’s war effort, but up to now Gazprombank had been exempt because of the potential impact it would have on security of supplies for Europe.