Kremlin Links Germany’s Economic Decline to Expensive Gas Imports

(MENAFN) Germany’s economic competitiveness is facing growing challenges, with the Kremlin attributing part of the decline to Berlin’s decision to halt purchases of low-cost Russian natural gas and rely on more expensive supplies from alternative suppliers, particularly the United States.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russian authorities were observing both weak public approval of Germany’s current government and indicators pointing to a deterioration in the country’s economic performance.

“We also observe that the decline in the competitiveness of the German economy is largely due to the fact that Germany has stopped purchasing cheap Russian gas and has begun buying very expensive gas – sometimes several times more costly – on the spot market from other countries, primarily the United States,” he said.

Peskov argued that rising energy costs had contributed to the pressures affecting Germany’s economy. He added that some German citizens were looking for a change in political leadership as they sought improvements in their living conditions.

“Naturally, Germans – or at least some of them – are seeking an alternative to the current leadership in order to improve their situation, Peskov added.

His remarks followed a significant electoral development in Germany, where the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured its second state-level election victory on Sunday in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The result came just two weeks after the party achieved a record performance in Saxony-Anhalt.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) received less than 5% of the vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, preventing it from entering the state parliament for the first time.

In Berlin, the Left Party emerged as the leading force in the state election, receiving approximately 25.3% of the vote. The CDU followed with 19%.

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