Slovakia cannot stop buying natural gas from Russia and is willing to pay in rubles as demanded by Moscow, said the central European country’s top economy official. The statement comes days after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered ruble payments for natural gas purchases by companies registered in “unfriendly” countries. Slovakia, which imports approximately 87 percent of its natural gas and two-thirds of its oil from Russia, is on a list of 48 countries the Kremlin considers “unfriendly.” Richard Sulik, Slovakia’s minister of economy, said his country is willing to comply with the demand. “The gas supplies [from Russia] must not be stopped. This is why I say, although this might sound too pragmatic for some, if there is a condition to pay [for Russian gas] in rubles, then let’s pay in rubles,” Sulik said, as quoted by Slovakian public news agency TASR. It is in the former Soviet republic’s interest …