German Minister: Mass poverty in Germany if Russian gas and oil boycotted
A German Minister warns that an immediate boycott of Russia's oil and gas would bring about mass unemployment and poverty.
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Germany's Economy and Energy Minister Robert Habeck
German Economy and Energy Minister Robert Habeck warned on Sunday, in an interview with public broadcaster ARD that Germany's people may face mass unemployment and poverty if there was to be an immediate boycott of Russian gas and oil.
"If we flip a switch immediately," people will witness supply shortages, he said, adding that people will run out of gas for transportation.
55% of Germany's natural gas, 52% of its coal, and 34% of its minerals come from Russia, which explains why the country is so highly dependent on Moscow's exports.
Read more: Germany in a quagmire over Russian energy
Habeck said his government is working to ensure it would be able to give up Russian coal by the summer, and to phase out Russain oil by the end of the year.
“With coal, oil and even gas we are step by step in the process of making ourselves independent”, the former Green party co-leader said. “But we can’t do it in an instant. That’s bitter, and it’s not a nice thing morally to confess to, but we can’t do it yet.”
