Germany will halt imports of Russian coal from next month and Russian oil by the end of the year, a top economic aide to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced amid pressure on European countries to end their dependence on Russian energy following its invasion of Ukraine.
“We will be off Russian coal in a few weeks,” the state-run TASS news agency quoted Joerg Kukies as saying at the Sydney Energy Forum on Wednesday.
“In accordance with the sanctions, imports of Russian coal will go down to zero despite the fact that Russia supplied 40% of all our coal.”
Kukies added that Germany also aims to end its dependence on oil supplies from Russia by the end of the year.
“Ridding yourself of that dependence [on the Druzhba oil pipeline] is not a trivial matter, but it is one that we will achieve in a few months,” he said.
The vast majority of Russian coal supplied to Germany comes from Siberia’s Kemerovo region. In 2017, Germany was the second-largest buyer of Siberian coal after the Netherlands, according to statistics cited by the regional Taiga.Info news outlet.
Germany’s decision follows a similar move by Poland earlier this year and could have a considerable impact on the economy of the resource-rich Russian region, which hopes to minimize the damage by reorienting exports toward the Asia-Pacific region.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
