German Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Crown Prince of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani reached an agreement on the supply of Qatari gas to Germany at the talks held in Doha. It is designed to replace Russian energy carriers.
According to the German politician, the emir’s support was even more significant than expected. “A strong dynamic has emerged. And if we still need Russian gas this year, we will manage without it in the future. And this is just the beginning,” Khabek said.
Habek is accompanied by the heads of Germany’s largest energy companies. Their task is to translate the fundamental agreements of politicians into the language of specific contracts.
At the moment, EU sanctions do not apply to the Russian energy industry. As Deutsche Welle notes, in the first three months of 2022, Russia provided 40% of Germany’s gas needs, and since the start of the war, EU states have paid Russia $14.7 billion for fuel.