MILAN: Italy aims to cut off its dependence on Russian gas by the second half of 2024, Italy’s Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani said in an interview published on Tuesday.

“We should be autonomous by the second half of 2024, we could do without importing Russian gas,” Cingolani said in an interview with daily La Repubblica.

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Asked about the proposed rouble payment mechanism for Russian Gas, Cingolani said that the EU Commission needs to take “a clear and unambiguous” political decision to avoid responsibility being shifted to individual governments and oil and gas companies.