Germany against ban on Russian energy imports

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - The German government is against banning energy imports from Russia due to its dependency, an official said Thursday.

"I would not advocate an embargo on Russian imports of fossil fuels. I would even oppose it," Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said after meeting with business leaders.

Amid Russia's war in Ukraine, Germany last week put a halt on the certification of the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, which was set to double the amount of gas from Russia to Germany.

Habeck, however, stressed that a ban on Russian energy imports would threaten the country’s energy security.

"We need these energy supplies to maintain the price stability and energy security in Germany," he said.

He emphasized that Germany "must free" itself from imports of Russian fossil fuels -- natural gas, coal and oil.

Habeck noted that Germany has already started to feel the effect of the western allies' sanctions on Russia.

"The impact of the sanctions and of the war on all sectors of the economy is so strong that we can fear a big impact," he said.

Germany imported €19.4 billion ($21.5 billion) worth of oil and natural gas from Russia last year, which accounted for 59% of all imports from Russia.