Energy | Merkel knew about Putin’s blackmail plans, the German newspaper reveals

Germany’s previous chancellor Angela Merkel knew or at least suspected that Russia was going to blackmail Europe with natural gas before the European energy crisis, says a German economic newspaper Handelsblatt.

According to a German Economy Ministry memo obtained by Handelsblatt, the country’s government suspected in August 2021 that Russia could “increase pressure” on the commissioning of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to be commissioned before German authorities have given it the necessary permits.

“By reducing gas supplies,” Russia could try to force the pipeline into operation, the memo states. The Russian gas company Gazprom announced in September 2021 that Nord Stream 2 is ready. It was filled with gas, but was never put into service with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

The official memo also states that Russian blackmail could have enormous consequences. However, the German government did not react to the threat, Saksalaislehti writes.

In October at the end of 2021 the president of Russia Vladimir Putin promised that European gas reserves would be filled as soon as Russia had prepared for winter by filling its own.

Experts were skeptical already at that time Putin blackmailing Europe with gas. Nord Stream 2 was also opposed for a long time by Ukraine, which warned that Russia could use it for political pressure.

About the same time the price of natural gas went up to rise. In August 2022, natural gas was in Europe more expensive than ever.

Natural gas-dependent Germany failed to replenish its stockpiles in time for the winter of 2021-2022, and was forced to continue buying piped gas directly from Russia until next summer.

The Nord Stream gas pipelines were blown up in September 2022. Russian gas flows to Europe still through Ukraine. The biggest buyer is Austria, where more than 20 percent of homes are heated with Russian gas.

The gas agreement between Russia and Ukraine expires on the last day of 2024. EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said at the beginning of March that the use of Russian gas should end “in 2027 at the latest”.