Germany abandoning Russian gas
The German authorities decided to abandon gas imports from Russia. This was stated by Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a speech in the German parliament on Sunday, February 27.
According to him, Moscow has unreasonably inflated the price of gas, threatens the security of the entire continent and can no longer be considered a stable partner.
"February 24, 2022, marks a turning point in the history of our continent. Vladimir Putin wants to recreate the Russian Empire and govern Europe as he sees fit. The Russians do not want war. This war remains Putin's war," Scholz said.
Berlin will switch to gas supplies from the United States, Scholz added and called for increasing capacity of LNG terminals as soon as possible, after which there will be no new contracts with Russia.
The Chancellor said that Germany will also increase defense funding. 2% of the country's budget will be allocated annually to the Bundeswehr.
Scholz emphasized that the Russian president, by his invasion of Ukraine, "freed Germany from historical guilt."
Berlin, which for a long time refused to provide Ukraine with weapons, decided to send portable anti-aircraft missile systems Stinger and anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.