Berlin proposes ban on importing Russian LNG to European Union
Berlin has proposed a ban on importing Russian LNG to the European Union (photo: GettyImages)
The German government supports the proposal to include an embargo on the import of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) into the European Union in the 14th package of European sanctions against Russia, according to DW.
"Yes, I support this, Germany no longer needs LNG from Russia, as we no longer have contracts with Russia for its supply," said German Economy Minister Robert Habeck.
Germany has even been able to rid itself of infrastructural dependence on Russian pipeline gas. The minister advised other countries to follow suit.
"What Germany has managed to do regarding gas should be possible for other countries in other energy sectors," the minister said, referring not only to Russian LNG but also to fuel exports from Russia to the EU for nuclear power plants.
According to experts' estimates, Russia currently ranks second after the United States in terms of LNG supply volumes to EU countries. Its share in total imports is 16%.
Last year, Russian companies sold 15.5 million tons of LNG to EU countries, almost 40% more than in 2021, according to Kpler, a company specializing in collecting data on commodity markets.
Sanctions against Russia
The European Union is preparing its 14th package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The EU has outlined the restrictions.
Earlier, we reported that Sweden proposed sanctions against Moscow's oil fleet and liquefied natural gas.
We also reported that US President Joe Biden extended the ban on Russian-linked vessels entering US ports.
