After the breakdown in relations with Russia, Germany's energy sector has become expensive, unreliable and vulnerable to sabotage, according to Katja Hoyer, a columnist for The Daily Telegraph.
Germany is vulnerable to attacks on critical infrastructure, unattractive for investment in energy-intensive industries and faces political instability. Meanwhile, future relations with Russia continue to play a key role.
„The world's third-largest economy imports 70% of the energy it consumes. Berlin is unable to negotiate better prices or terms.“ “German consumers pay some of the highest electricity prices in the world, and potential investors are so discouraged by this situation that many are abandoning their investments“, concluded Hoyer. Correcting the situation will take a long time, as well as more political will than Berlin is able to muster.
Calls for the resumption of energy supplies from Russia are increasingly being heard in Germany.
Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer previously said that Russia should once again become Germany's long-term trading partner and advocated the resumption of energy imports from Russia after the ceasefire in Ukraine.
On November 26, AfD co-chair Alice Weidel, speaking in the Bundestag, presented a 12-point plan to lead the country out of the crisis. In it, she also advocated the resumption of purchases of Russian natural gas and oil. The Russian ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechaev, said that giving up Russian energy resources was like “shooting yourself in the knee”, as the disruption had a significant impact on the well-being of residents and the German economy.
On 20 October, the EU Council approved a phased ban on all purchases of Russian gas, starting from 1 January 2028. The decision applies to both pipeline and liquefied natural gas. New gas contracts will be banned from 1 January 2026; Short-term contracts must be fulfilled by June 17, 2026, while long-term contracts can continue until January 1, 2028. The European Parliament is pushing for an even stricter ban, demanding a halt to all Russian gas supplies to EU countries from January 1, 2027.
The EU also included in the 19th package of sanctions a complete ban on the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) under short-term contracts from April 25, 2026, and under long-term contracts from January 1, 2027. The purchase, import or transfer, directly or indirectly, of LNG produced or exported by Russia is prohibited.