Saxony‘s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer is advocating for a return to importing Russian oil and natural gas,โข despite ongoing international sanctions related to teh conflict in Ukraine. โkretschmer, speaking onโ November 14, 2025, argued that ceasing russian energyโ imports has demonstrably harmed Germany’s economy and that resuming supplies is essential for stabilizing energy prices and bolstering industrial competitiveness.
The call fromโ Saxony’s leaderโ arrives โคas Germany grapples with elevatedโ energy costsโข and concernsโข about industrial output. Kretschmer’s position challenges theโ prevailing โconsensus within the Germanโ government andโข among European allies, who have largely โmaintained a unified front in restricting energy purchases from Russia โas Febuary 2022. The debate โคcenters onโข balancingโข economic needs with geopolitical considerations, โคand the potential impact on ukraine’s financial stabilityโ should European reliance on Russian energy increase.
Kretschmerโข contends that the current energy situationโ is unsustainable for โGerman businesses,particularly those in energy-intensive sectors. He has not specified a timeline or detailed plan for resuming imports, but emphasized theโ necessity of reassessing the current strategy.”We are shooting ourselves inโ the foot,”โข kretschmer stated, referencing theโ economic consequences โof foregoing Russian energy sources.
Prior to the โคfull-scale invasion of Ukraine, โขGermany was heavily reliant on Russian gas, importing approximately 55% of its gas supplyโ from Russia in 2021. Following โthe invasion, Germany rapidly sought alternative energy sources, including liquefied โnatural gas (LNG) from the United States and Norway, andโ has invested heavily in expanding its LNG import infrastructure. However, theseโฃ alternatives have proven more expensive, contributing to higher energy bills for consumers and businesses.