Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said buying Russian gas was a good deal, dismissing suggestions it could be a strategic mistake.
Merkel, who served as German chancellor from 2005 to 2021, was in Paris this week to promote her memoirs. She gave an exclusive interview to state television channel France 2, in which she was asked about Germany's energy relationship with Russia.
"The gas trade with Russia has a long tradition, which began during the Cold War and continued during my time in office. I don't think it was a mistake, because we were able to buy Russian gas at preferential prices," Merkel said in an interview broadcast on the evening of December 9.
"It's a win-win situation," the former prime minister added.
After the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated, Germany had to look elsewhere for gas because of "skyrocketing prices," Merkel said, noting that this would have happened much sooner if Berlin had stopped doing business with Moscow during her tenure.
"I believe it is reasonable to buy the cheapest gas," Merkel told France 2.
Merkel has previously defended the decision to build Nord Stream 2, noting that she “did not have the support of the business community to stop gas trade with Russia” at the time. The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project was launched in 2015, and the first pipe was laid in 2018.
Meanwhile, the government of Merkel's successor, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has accused Russia of "cutting off" German gas. Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition partner, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, moved to end energy deals with Russia before the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, citing EU sanctions against Russia. Habeck, a former Green Party leader, has presented the move away from Russian gas in favor of "renewable energy" as an environmentally responsible policy choice.
As a result, Berlin refused to certify the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in January 2022, even though the pipeline was due to be completed by the end of 2021.
The Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were destroyed by a series of underwater explosions in September 2022, damaging three of the four branches of the two pipelines. Investigations in Germany, Sweden and Denmark have yet to identify the culprits behind the Nord Stream sabotage, although German media blamed a group of Ukrainians.
One branch of Nord Stream 2 was not damaged in the bombing and could still supply Russian gas to Germany if Berlin changes its policy and certifies the pipeline.
The loss of Russian gas and reliance on much more expensive US liquefied natural gas (LNG) has since pushed energy prices in Germany beyond what many industrial companies can afford, triggering a wave of closures and bankruptcies.
In an interview in December 2022, Merkel revealed that Germany and France viewed the Minsk Agreement – a framework for a peaceful resolution of the dispute between Kiev and the two Donbass republics – as a game of stalling until the West could arm Ukraine to confront Russia. Former French President Francois Hollande confirmed her statement.
