Germany’s Ministry of Economy recently ordered its state-owned LNG import terminals not to accept any liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russian tankers, according to a Financial Times report on November 6.
The directive, which applies specifically to Deutsche Energy Terminal, came after the company informed the ministry about planned Russian LNG deliveries.
In its letter, the German Economy Ministry cited "priority state interests" as the reason for the directive, emphasizing Germany's commitment to reduce reliance on Russian gas imports.
The ministry further stressed that allowing Russian LNG imports would counteract the terminal’s purpose of helping Germany and the European Union achieve greater energy independence.
Germany had been one of the largest importers of Russian gas in Europe before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Since then, Germany has been committed to eliminating its dependency on Russian energy, and the ministry’s directive ensures that no Russian LNG will be imported through German terminals in the future.
The letter’s release aligns with broader EU efforts to limit Russian gas imports.
Recently, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump the potential for increased American LNG imports as a means to further reduce reliance on Russian energy supplies across the EU.
