Ukraine conflict: expert does not expect gas supply problems

Ukraine conflict
Expert does not expect any gas supply problems

In the meantime, more natural gas is also being supplied from the USA. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa

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Germany gets more than 50 percent of the natural gas it needs from Russia. So far all contracts have been fulfilled. But will it stay that way?

Despite the tense situation on the border between Ukraine and Russia, the Hamburg Institute for World Economics (HWWI) does not anticipate any supply problems with natural gas.

“Not only Germany is dependent on Russian gas, but Russia is also dependent on the proceeds,” said HWWI energy expert Claudia Wellenreuther. So far, the gas supplies have been delivered as ordered.

According to HWWI information, the Federal Republic obtains more than 50 percent of the natural gas it needs from Russia. “There is definitely a dependency,” said Wellenreuther. But one can also observe that more natural gas is already being supplied from the USA. The difficulty here is the transport and the capacities. “And there is the question of whether the high demand can really be covered by the USA in the short term,” said Wellenreuther.

The USA and NATO have been criticizing Russia for months because of the deployment of around 100,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine. The West fears that Ukraine could be invaded. Moscow points out that these are its own troops on its own territory. At the same time, according to its own statements, it sees itself increasingly threatened by an expansion of NATO. Moscow is demanding binding security guarantees from the West.

dpa

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