German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. File photoBERLIN, May 30Germany is moving towards independence from Russian energy carriers «at an extremely high pace and with great activity,» German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters in Brussels. «Germany started preparing for this situation very early, already in December, I started negotiations with relevant ministries and departments on what would happen if there was a further escalation and what would be the consequences for energy supply.Therefore, we were well prepared and took all measures… We are moving forward at an extremely high pace and with great activity «, Scholz said.
The head of the EC does not wait for the approval of the sixth package of sanctions in the next 48 hours. He repeated that Germany intends to abandon coal imports from Russia by the fall, and also by the end of the year «get rid of dependence» on Russian oil imports. «Significant infrastructure investments» in German ports on the Baltic and North Seas are being made to be able to «import gas from all over the world and strengthen our independence,» Scholz said. The European Commission in March proposed a special plan for the European Union that could reduce by two-thirds — that is, by about 100 billion cubic meters — of demand for Russian gas in 2022. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in early May that, as part of the upcoming sixth package of sanctions against Russia, the commission would propose a phased ban on all imports of Russian oil to the European Union. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the policy of containing and weakening Russia is a long-term strategy for the West, and sanctions dealt a severe blow to the entire global economy. According to him, the main goal of the West is to worsen the lives of millions of people. He added that current events draw a line under the global dominance of the West in both politics and economics. According to him, Russia is not going to isolate itself, it cannot be strictly isolated in the modern world. The rejection of Russian oil and gas will entail enormous consequences for the European and world economies, said Dmitry Birichevsky, director of the department for economic cooperation at the Russian Foreign Ministry. According to him, Europe is very dependent on Russian gas and oil. Even if it moves to total savings, finds suppliers in other regions of the world and switches to renewable energy sources, «in the most ideal scenario» it will be able to replace only 80% of energy resources, he said. The Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that it has never used energy resources as a «weapon».
