Germany won’t give in to Russian ‘blackmail,’ open to possible expropriation of Schwedt refinery

Record ID: 1670339

  • Title: Germany won’t give in to Russian ‘blackmail,’ open to possible expropriation of Schwedt refinery
  • Date: 27th April 2022
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (APRIL 27, 2022) (REUTERS) GERMAN ECONOMY MINISTER ROBERT HABECK SEATED AT NEWS CONFERENCE NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN ECONOMY MINISTER, ROBERT HABECK, SAYING: “The only thing important to me is that Germany doesn’t pay in roubles and does not give in to the blackmail and that we act in European unison.” REPORTER ASKING QUE
  • Embargoed: 11th May 2022 15:07
  • Keywords: Germany economy Ukraine war impact growth inflation minister Robert Habeck price hike rates spring outlook
  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • City: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Europe,Economic Events
  • Reuters ID: LVA002425427042022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: As Russia's Gazprom halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday (April 27) over their failure to pay in roubles, Germany said it won’t be “blackmailed” and that it will continue to pay in euros.
    “The only thing important to me is that Germany doesn’t pay in roubles and does not give in to the blackmail and that we act in European unison,” Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck told reporters in Berlin.
    Fears more states could be hit, in particular Germany, Europe's industrial powerhouse which in 2021 relied on Russia for more than 50% of its gas, sent gas prices soaring.
    Habeck said he was taking Russia’s move “very seriously but not to the extent that the situation would cause anxiety.”
    President Vladimir Putin's demand for rouble gas payments is the centrepiece of Russia's response to sanctions which include freezing hundreds of billions of dollars of Russian assets.
    Habeck also said Germany's government was looking at all options to cut dependency on Russian energy, leaving open the possibility of expropriating the PCK refinery at Schwedt, operated by Russian state-owned Rosneft.
    Asked whether an expropriation of the refinery, which accounts for all of Germany's remaining Russian oil imports, was an option, Habeck said everything was on the table.
    "We are in a situation where the German government must adapt to and prepare for all scenarios," said Habeck, adding the government was open to anything.
    (Production: Martin Schlicht, Michele Sani)
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register