Europe had become entangled in all the contradictions in the dispute with Russia. Ex-Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl came to this conclusion in an interview with the Russian state broadcaster “Russia Today”. Because of the Russian troop deployment in Ukraine, Europe and the USA are now tightening their tone of voice towards Russian President Putin. On the other hand, the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was recently completed because Germany needs Russian gas and does not intend to do without it in the future.
Should Germany take part in severe sanctions – although it is currently not clear when such sanctions will be imposed – the damage to Germany’s economy would be enormous. It is also questionable to what extent Washington will go with its pressure on Berlin, after all, US President Joe Biden certainly does not want to endanger transnational cooperation. “The situation has an ambiguity,” says Kneissl. Contracts have to be kept.
The USA is currently selling its gas and oil to Asia, because that’s where payment is made. The Europeans, on the other hand, do not buy from the Americans because they get the gas cheaper from the Russians. Germany will certainly not want to do without Russian gas, after all, gas is already in short supply. It is even no longer ruled out that households will have to freeze and industries will be temporarily switched off. The average German electricity payer already pays twice as much as a French.
“This is a homemade crisis,” says Kneissl, which she attributes to the mismanagement of energy supplies. The first task of the state’s energy policy is to ensure a safe supply of energy. Clean energy and climate played a role, but could not alone be decisive.
In the meantime, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has become more realistic. A year ago they were relying solely on wind and solar energy. Gas and nuclear energy are now also playing a role for them. “There’s a little more realism,” says Kneissl. The background: Van der Leyen is “a French invention” as Commission President. As a German cabinet member, she was still against nuclear energy. “Now she has to be for it.” That is a setback for the German traffic light coalition, because Germany has embarked on the nuclear phase-out since the energy transition, and it is no longer moving away from it.
The fact is: Germany got into trouble with the energy transition and now needs more energy. The contradictions in energy policy eventually led to contradictions in geopolitics.
