Russian energy imports are ‘essential’ for Europe, says German chancellor

Fossil energy imports from Russia are “essential” for the “daily life of citizens” in Europe and the continent’s supply cannot be guaranteed in any other way at the moment, said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

At a time when the United States and the European Union (EU) are considering sanctions on Russian energy in response to its invasion of Ukraine, “the supply of energy in Europe for the production of heat, mobility, electricity and industry cannot be guaranteed in the same way. another way at this time,” the official said in a written statement.

Fears of a Western embargo on Russian oil sent crude prices soaring again on Monday.

“Deliberately” Europe decided to leave Russia’s energy deliveries out of the sanctions because the measure would destabilize markets and have a strong impact on European economies.

Germany is one of the EU countries that are particularly dependent on Russian gas, oil and coal imports and the government is working “with its EU partners and not just the EU to find alternatives to Russian energy. But this cannot be achieved overnight,” added Scholz.

The EU imports 40% of the gas it consumes from Russia and some countries are not in favor of doing without it, even if the aim is to deprive Russia of essential income.

Several German government ministers spoke out against these measures against Russian gas. “You have to be able to maintain the sanctions over time,” explained the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, to the ARD network.

“It is no use if in three weeks we discover that we only have electricity for a few days in Germany and these sanctions have to be rethought,” he said.

According to a survey published this Monday by the Handelsblatt newspaper, the majority of Germans support this drastic sanction, since 54% of those surveyed say they are in favor.