Germany's Scholz Rejects Possibility of Berlin Halting Gas Imports From Russia

BERLIN (Sputnik) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday rejected the possibility of Berlin suspending gas imports from Russia even though only small volumes are currently coming in.

"The European Union has not imposed sanctions on gas imports, primarily because of Western European countries, not because of Germany... Others cannot find an alternative [for Russian gas] for themselves so quickly," Scholz told a meeting with the citizens of the German city of Essen when asked why Germany does not halt gas deliveries from Russia.

The chancellor added that Berlin has made timely decisions on storing gas in Germany's underground gas storage facilities, launching coal-fired power plants, and constructing liquefied natural gas terminals.

"Since we have taken care of this and were able to do all this, now we can say that we will overcome this situation. But it will be more difficult if we give up what is coming [from Russia] albeit in small quantities. My personal opinion is that we should not over-complicate our lives," Scholz said, adding that Germany must expand its infrastructure for gas imports to avoid energy dependence.

He added that gas pipelines that could connect Germany with Spain and Portugal through the territory of France or Italy would support the global energy market and Berlin.

Gas prices in Europe have skyrocketed throughout the year, reaching $3,500 per 1,000 cubic meters in August amid waning Russian energy supplies. Russian energy giant Gazprom announced its plans to reduce supplies via a key gas pipeline starting July 27 to no more than 33 million cubic meters per day, 20% of the pipeline's nominal capacity. On Wednesday, gas futures prices in Europe rose 11% and reached $3,122.7 per 1,000 cubic meters, surpassing the $3,000 threshold for the first time since March, according to data from the London-based ICE exchange.