According to German media reports, Germany and other EU countries secretly purchase Russian liquefied natural gas . Germany's ZDF TV reported the news on December 11, citing data from the Kiel Institute of World Economics.
According to Stefan Koots, vice president of the institute, Russian liquefied natural gas first enters Belgium , and then enters Germany. In an interview with TV station, he pointed out that the supply was about 5 billion cubic meters. It is estimated that Germany has about 3 million cubic meters of natural gas every year, accounting for about 5% of total natural gas demand.
In addition, according to energy company ICIS, 13% of European LNG imports are currently from Russia, and their purchasing countries are mainly France, Netherlands and Belgium.
On November 29, Klaus Ernst, spokesman for the German Left Party , said that Germany does not have a real alternative to natural gas.
On October 19, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that EU countries have filled 92% of their natural gas reserves. A few days ago, on October 12, Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said that during the peak of winter cold, cities across Europe could freeze. He said pessimistic forecasts suggest that EU gas inventory will be only 5% in March.
Western countries have decided to reduce their dependence on Russia's energy resources in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. But this has brought economic problems to Europe, resulting in sharp rises in fuel, food and utilities prices.
