Germany says will completely end dependence on Russian energy

BERLIN

Germany will completely end its dependence on Russian oil and gas, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday.

Speaking at an energy conference in Berlin, Baerbock condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin and said his war on Ukraine has changed geopolitics and Germany’s security assessments.

“This caused a lot of suffering for millions of people, but also made it clear for us that we must become fully independent from Russian fuel imports,” she said.

Baerbock criticized previous German governments for not taking serious measures to reduce the country’s reliance on Russian gas, oil, and coal imports.

She said Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 led to discussions in Europe about diversifying energy imports, but governments did not take any major steps.

“And now we see the consequences of this in a very tragic way,” she added.

Russia supplies 55% of Germany’s natural gas, 35% of its crude oil, and 45% of its coal.

The German government announced an ambitious plan last week to significantly reduce its longstanding energy dependence on Russia.