BERLIN, March 25 — Germany said today it was drastically slashing its energy purchases from Russia amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, with oil imports to be halved by June and coal deliveries to end by the autumn.
“In recent weeks, together with all relevant players, we have made intensive efforts to import less fossil energy from Russia and broaden out our supply base,” said Economy Minister Robert Habeck.
“The first important milestones have been reached to free us from the grip of Russian imports,” he added.
Before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, a third of Germany’s oil imports, 45 per cent of its coal purchases and 55 per cent of gas imports came from Russia.
The reliance of Europe’s biggest economy on Russian energy has been exposed as an Achilles’ heel as Western allies scramble to penalise Vladimir Putin for his war on Ukraine.
With calls for an energy embargo growing louder, companies with Russian suppliers are letting their contracts run out and turning to other suppliers “at a crazy speed”, said Habeck.
As a result of the contract switches, oil deliveries from Russia can already be seen dropping by 25 per cent, halving by the middle of the year and drying up completely by the end of the year.
Likewise, energy companies were switching contracts to ditch Russian coal.
“By the autumn, we can be independent from Russian coal,” said the economy ministry.
On gas imports, however, Habeck underlined that it was more complicated, and Germany is expected to be able to largely wean itself off Russian deliveries only in mid-2024.
The pressure has been increasing on Germany in particular but the EU has so far avoided following in the footsteps of the United States with an embargo on Russian energy imports.
Putin on Wednesday upped the ante by demanding payments for gas in rubles, something that Germany has said is a breach of contracts.
Today, Habeck said it was “too early” for a full energy embargo.
“But every contract that is halted hurts Putin,” the minister said. — AFP
