AfD Cautions Germany Over Costly Dependence on US Gas

(MENAFN) Germany has grown heavily reliant on US energy imports after moving away from cheaper Russian supplies, according to Alice Weidel, co-chair of Alternative for Germany (AfD). She urged Chancellor Friedrich Merz to resume diplomatic engagement with Moscow and to stop escalating the conflict in Ukraine.

Following the outbreak of hostilities between Kiev and Moscow in February 2022, most EU states, including Germany, sharply reduced Russian oil and gas imports. This shift contributed to rising energy prices across the bloc.

At a party event last Friday, Weidel criticized Germany’s new energy strategy, noting that the country had replaced Russian imports with US liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is reportedly five times more expensive and requires specialized terminals and infrastructure.

“We must not become dependent on one country. We must diversify and above all, we must buy where it’s cheap. And that’s in Russia,” she said, adding that few officials in the federal government possess “any economic policy expertise.”

Weidel also called for renewed diplomatic efforts with Moscow to resolve the Ukraine conflict. “We need peace as quickly as possible, and we must stop feeding this war” through weapons deliveries to Kiev, she argued, suggesting that Germany should instead pressure Ukraine to negotiate in good faith.

According to reports, 96% of Germany’s LNG imports in 2025 came from the US. Around the same time, the European Union approved a plan to phase out Russian gas entirely by late 2027. Commenting on the EU’s decision, a veteran German politician warned that the bloc is risking economic decline and increasing dependence on US fracking gas, while a Russian official noted that the move effectively limits the EU’s freedom of choice in energy policy.

MENAFN17022026000045017281ID1110751923