CDU politician Röttgen: Stop gas and oil imports from Russia now

BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – The CDU foreign politician Norbert Röttgen has called for a stop to energy imports from Russia. “We must do everything in our power to support the Ukrainians in their fight against Putin and for freedom,” wrote Röttgen in a guest article in the “Tagesspiegel” (Monday edition). He appealed to the federal government to stop gas and oil imports from Russia “now”. It is possible to replace the lack of gas deliveries with gas reserves until next winter.

An import stop for oil and gas will probably be at the expense of other goals such as climate protection and the end of nuclear energy. “But for many Ukrainians it will be too late if we continue to hesitate,” said Röttgen. “We have to pull out all the economic stops to hit Putin’s system as hard as possible from the inside and dry it out financially.”

Röttgen distinguishes himself from CDU leader Friedrich Merz with his demand. “At the moment we are not considering tightening the sanctions in the direction of our refraining from energy supplies from Russia,” Merz said on Saturday. “But we are open, if this war continues, if the atrocities against the civilian population should also continue, that we would then have to resort to this remedy.”/vrb/DP/nas

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