Despite possible headwinds in the future, Germany remains faithful to its beliefs and principles. The common position of the European Union, the United States, and the vast majority of the world's countries on Russia is unwavering, even taking into account energy shortages.
The German authorities are well aware of the complexity of the situation amid an impending cold winter. However, they are not going to adopt a radical change in attitude. "We are moving toward a very difficult situation," German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck acknowledged, assessing the state of affairs in the face of reduced gas supplies from Russia. According to Habeck, Germany's government realizes that Europe is heavily reliant on gas. Therefore, the measures it is taking and its step-by-step approach are correct, he noted. At the same time, the top official expressed confidence that gas supplies could be secured by the coming winter.
“It's crucial that the gas storage facilities are full going into the winter, which means that they are at 90%,” Habeck said, adding that the German storage units are currently 57% full. He predicts that the country could manage for two-and-a-half months without Russian gas this winter. At the same time, the government is planning to continue purchasing gas from abroad in winter, even if Russia stops supplying gas to Europe.
Meanwhile, Germany, which makes every effort to reduce its dependence on Russian energy imports, continues to build up fuel reserves in underground gas storages. They are currently almost 53% full. Europe's largest economy aims to achieve 90% capacity by November 1.
