Publication

This paper examines how Germany's domestic energy policy affects the country's relations with Russia. The author argues that Germany's approach to its energy supply (marked by a reluctance to use its coal reserves, rejection of supplying its own nuclear energy and the challenges associated with harvesting renewable energy) have made the country unnecessarily reliant on Russia. This, he says, makes it is particularly difficult for Berlin to impose heavy sanctions increase the pressure on Russia to change its course of action in Ukraine.