No regrets: Unrepentant Angela Merkel defends her decision to rely on Russian gas

The former chancellor referred to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a ‘turning point’ in Germany’s energy reliance on Moscow

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel has claimed she has “no regrets” about the energy policy her government took despite its reliance on Russia.

Ms Merkel’s comments come as Germany and other European countries are trying to end their need for Russian oil and gas after Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine as part of what he calls a special military operation.

The invasion has rocked European security and forced countries, including Germany, to seek alternative supplies of energy. The country has been warned of the possibility of power blackouts this winter, and Berlin has been scrambling to secure gas from other countries, including Qatar.

Last year, 55 per cent of German gas imports came from Russia, partly the result of Merkel’s pursual of trade ties with Russia and backing the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, even after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

The war has led to a re-evaluation of Germany’s previous policies and plentry of criticism for the former chancellor.

But Mrs Merkel remained unrepentant.

“You always act in the time in which you find yourself,” she told reporters in Lisbon when asked about her government’s approach to Russia.

Merkel, who retired from politics last year after 16 years as chancellor, said she had never believed in the notion of ‘Wandel durch Handel’, or bringing about change through trade.

“In this respect, I do not regret decisions at all, rather, I believe that it was right from the perspective of the time,” she said, adding that cheap Russian gas had allowed Germany to push ahead with phasing out nuclear and coal.

However, Germany has now delayed these plans as it scrambles to replace throttled gas deliveries from Russia.

German inflation, largely driven by skyrocketing energy prices, is running at 10.9% and the government has committed to billions of euros in spending to help households and businesses pay for rising energy bills.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, designed to double gas imports from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea, was shelved in the days leading up to the invasion.

“This brutal invasion by Russia has now brought a change. This is a turning point,” Merkel said in reference to Germany’s energy policy.

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This was a task for Germany’s new government, led by Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, to deal with, she said.

Merkel was speaking on the sidelines of an event to announced the winner of the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, for which she led the panel of judges.

With agencies