Demands like those by notorious CDU cold warrior Norbert Röttgen that Germany instantly also cut all imports of gas and coal from Russia, are an exception so far, however one should not have much illusion that if the pressure on Germany increased much more, the government will give in and do it. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Finance Minister Christian Lindner declared over the weekend that total cuts of imports from Russia are not on the agenda.
Interviewed on ZDF TV (second national public television) last night, Baerbock responded to a question: “ What would happen if we said: Okay, stop oil imports immediately, stop gas immediately? All the lights wouldn’t go out in our country right away. Would it?”
Baerbock: “Well, if we were to take everything off the grid immediately, yes. If we look at coal in particular, 50% of imports come from Russia. And coal-fired power plants produce electricity and heat for us and other countries. That’s why my colleague Robert Habeck is working flat out to buy alternatives for gas and oil. And we are now looking again, for example, at how we can proceed step by step, so that we gradually pull the plug here, too. But there is an overall responsibility.
