German media: The German economy minister underestimated the amount of oil imported from Russia

German media reported on July 2 that Robert Habek, Germany's deputy chancellor and minister of economy and climate protection, underestimated the amount of
oil Germany imports from Russia.
Habek said in April that Germany's share of oil imports from Russia had dropped to about 12 percent at the time.
According to the Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection in May, the share was 27.
8%.

The German "Die Welt" questioned Habeck's remarks on Germany's success in reducing its dependence on Russian oil on the 2nd, accusing Habeck of underestimating the situation
.
Habeck said in late April that Germany's dependence on Russian oil had fallen low enough that a complete ban on imports had become "feasible.
"
He cited data at the time to prove that Germany's share of oil imports from Russia had fallen to about 12 percent from about
37 percent in March.

Jens Spann, vice president of the opposition Christian Democratic Union, identified Habeck's statement as "clearly more a whim estimate" and asked the Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection to respond
.
Germany's share of oil imports from Russia was 27.
8%
in May, the latest data from the department showed.

Asked why the two figures are so different, the Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection said it may be related to
Habeck's use of data provided by oil companies.
Oil importers said at the time that they could avoid contracts with the Russian side, and that they would have the opportunity to obtain oil
from other countries if oil imports from Russia were immediately banned or supplies were stopped.

The Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection stressed that Germany still plans to completely get rid of its dependence on
Russian oil by the end of 2022.

The leaders of the European Union member states agreed in principle at the end of May to ban the import of Russian oil
.
According to the sixth round of sanctions against Russia issued by the European Commission on June 3, the EU will stop buying Russian seaborne crude oil within 6 months and stop buying Russian petroleum products
within 8 months.
By the end of 2022, the EU's oil imports from Russia will be reduced by 90%.

The G7 leaders held a summit in Germany at the end of June and agreed to discuss a mechanism to set price caps
on Russian exports of natural gas and oil.
The G7 is trying to keep buying Russian oil and gas at low prices, while calming international energy prices and reducing inflationary pressures
within Western countries.
Some EU member states have questioned this, arguing that it would distort market mechanisms
.

Since Russia launched a special military operation against Ukraine on February 24, the European Union has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia, covering finance, energy and many other fields
.
Since Russia is currently the largest supplier of crude oil and natural gas to the EU, the backlash caused by sanctions against Russia has become more and more difficult
as the scope of sanctions against Russia has expanded.