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

Meanwhile, when asked about Markel's friendship with Russian President Vladimir 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 the earlier regime. Further, he maintained that his position regarding a "healthy relationship" with Russia or any other country is similar to that of his predecessor. Notably, since the onset of the "special military operation" in Ukraine, the European Union has been encouraging EU nations to reduce their 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 the Kremlin, a report claimed Moscow has exported a major chunk of its oil export to European countries. According to a report by the 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 the European countries since it announced to minimise its dependence on Russian energy. Among the EU, Germany remains the top buyer of Russian gas, as per the report.

Image: AP