What's happened
Germany's economic ministry has instructed Deutsche Energy Terminal to refuse Russian LNG deliveries, citing public interest and energy independence. This decision aligns with the EU's broader strategy to reduce reliance on Russian energy, especially as the bloc considers increasing imports of US LNG under President-elect Trump's administration.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to Business Insider UK, Germany's economic ministry stated that accepting Russian LNG would contradict the terminal's purpose of promoting energy independence from Russia. Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, emphasized the potential for replacing Russian LNG with cheaper American alternatives, despite criticism regarding the actual cost-effectiveness of US LNG imports (South China Morning Post). The EU's ongoing reliance on Russian energy, albeit reduced, raises questions about its commitment to fully severing ties with Moscow (Business Insider UK).
How we got here
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU has significantly reduced its energy imports from Russia. Germany has not imported LNG directly from Russia since then, although it has a long-term contract for Russian LNG via France.
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More on these topics
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Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen is a German politician and the president of the European Commission since 1 December 2019. She served in the federal government of Germany from 2005 to 2019 as the longest-serving member of Angela Merkel's cabinet.
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The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Its members have a combined area of 4,233,255.3 km² and an estimated total population of about 447 million.
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Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
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Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which borders it to the east and northeast.
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Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Covering an area of 17,125,200 square kilometres, it is the largest country in the world by area, spanning more than one-eighth of the Earth's in
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Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, previously holding the position from 1999 until 2008.