Germany must 'prepare to withdraw from Russian gas supply'

[ExquisiteGerbil]

Germany must 'prepare to withdraw from Russian gas supply'


Germany must draw up a schedule to withdraw from using Russia's gas supply, the head of energy utility association BDEW, Marie-Luise Wolff, has said.



There is pressure on Germany to stop providing funds for the Kremlin to wage war and to guard itself against a sudden stop of exports on the Russian side.



It comes as German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he had offered to visit Ukraine with other EU leaders, but Kyiv had told him he was not welcome due to his close ties with Russia and his support for the now-suspended Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline designed to double the flow of Russian gas to Germany.



"We must now use all our energy to prepare our exit from Russian gas supplies in detail and to underpin the necessary measures with an ambitious timetable," Wolff said.



Germany's leading economic institute said a Russian energy supply freeze would cause a recession in 2023 and has slashed its 2022 growth forecast for Europe's biggest economy because of the impact of the war in Ukraine.


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