Saxony Governor Insists Germany Needs Russian Gas

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Michael Kretschmer, minister-president of the eastern German state of Saxony, has conceded in an interview with the Welt daily that the country depends on Russian natural gas for its survival.

"Of course, we need it! An end of the war would give us a chance to go back to buying gas from Russia," the conservative politician from the Christian Democratic Union said in an interview out Saturday.

The German economy will not last long if it continues to be saddled by soaring energy prices, Kretschmer warned. He said the EU’s powerhouse was heading for a worse crisis than the economic and financial meltdown of 2008.

"We already see that the price hike is shattering the economic foundation of our manufacturing. Saxony-Anhalt has already begun to close nitrogen factories," he said.

Kretschmer criticized the federal government for its inaction. He argued that the outcome of the Ukrainian conflict would be decided at the negotiating table, and not on the battlefield.

"If it were only for two or three months, I would say we should get through this. But the forecast is much worse. If the war does not end, energy prices will stay at this toxic level for years. The livelihoods of the next generations are in a great peril," he said.

Fuel prices skyrocketed earlier this year after the US and European countries slapped sanctions against Moscow, citing the Russian special operation in Ukraine. The estimated price of gas futures for delivery in September (TTF hub) reached a historic record, surpassing $3,500.