Olaf Scholz criticises Merkel for not toiling enough to reduce reliance on Russian energy

Amid facing backlash for importing Russian gas, German chancellor Olaf Scholz, on Sunday, criticised his predecessor, Angela Merkel for current position and said earlier government did not work enough to minimise its dependence on Moscow. According to a report by DW News, incumbent Chancellor lamented country's economic policies during Markel's regime and said previous coalition government could have worked on infrastructure to minimise its dependence on Russian gas. "A mistake in German economic policy was that we focused excessively on energy supplies from Russia, without creating necessary infrastructure to be able to quickly change course in event of sudden events," he said. Scholz said his government is now working to fix issue. 

Meanwhile, when asked about Markel's friendship with Russian President Vlimir Putin during her regime, Scholz came in defence and said this was quite a normal approach for any government. "An attempt at reconciliation can never be wrong, nor can an attempt to reach a peaceful agreement," he said in defence of earlier regime. Furr, he maintained that his position regarding a "healthy relationship" with Russia or any or country is similar to that of his predecessor. Notably, since onset of "special military operation" in Ukraine, European Union has been encouraging EU nations to reduce ir dependence on Russian energy sources. On Several occasions, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has also slammed Germany for maintaining "double standards" on Russian gas. 

Russia exported €63 billion worth of fossil fuels since war; Germany remains top buyer

Despite European Union announcements of several rounds of punitive measures against Kremlin, a report claimed Moscow has exported a major chunk of its oil export to European countries. According to a report by Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, Russia has exported €63 billion worth of fossil fuels after initiating a ravaging war on Ukraine. Surprisingly, Russia has generated a revenue of 71% from European countries since it announced to minimise its dependence on Russian energy. Among EU, Germany remains top buyer of Russian gas, as per report.

Image: AP