Minister says Germany working on independence from Russian gas

BERLIN, Mar 3 (PRIME) – Germany is working to replace Russian gas exports, Germany's Economy Minister Robert Habeck said at briefing on Thursday. 

"The goal of this government and my mandate personally is to free us from this dependence as soon as possible, to get strategic sovereignty by foregoing the fossil fuel energy,” Habeck said.“Raw materials, metals, gas are imported from Russia in big quantities and must now be replaced, thid is why (we are) looking in other places."

The economic sanctions have fully cut the Russian financial market off the international markets, and it is no longer liquid, the official said.

"I need to say that the economic sanctions that the global community, Europe and the U.S. introduced, have in principle fully cut the Russian financial market off the international financial markets, it is therefore not liquid anymore. The consequences will be very far-reaching," Habeck said.

He also called for an immediate freeze of assets of Russian oligarchs.

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