Angela Merkel justifies reliance on Russian gas amid crisis
- By 2022, Germany sourced 55% of its gas from Russia during the escalation of the Ukraine crisis.
- Merkel justified the decision to rely heavily on Russian gas due to high costs and political constraints of alternatives.
- This dependency placed Germany in a challenging position regarding its support for Ukraine.
Germany, under Angela Merkel's leadership, became significantly dependent on Russian gas, particularly through the Nord Stream pipelines. By February 2022, at the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, 55% of Germany's gas was sourced from Russia. Merkel, while acknowledging this dependency, argued that the alternatives were too expensive or politically unfeasible at the time. She inherited the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from her predecessor and authorized the Nord Stream 2 project to further link Germany and Russia energy-wise, which, despite having regulatory delays, was expected to enhance supply. This reliance ultimately complicated Germany's stance in the geopolitical landscape as it faced pressure from Moscow regarding its support for Ukraine.