In 2018, President Trump appeared before the United Nations to warn countries to avoid a gas-fueled romance with Russia.
“Reliance on a single foreign supplier can leave a nation vulnerable to extortion and intimidation. That is why we congratulate European states, such as Poland, for leading the construction of a Baltic pipeline so that nations are not dependent on Russia to meet their energy needs. Germany will become totally dependent on Russian energy if it does not immediately change course.”
What was the reaction of German’s UN delegation to Trump’s warning? They nearly fell out of their seats laughing.
No one in Berlin is laughing now. Last week, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany was dependent on Russia for 50 percent of its natural gas and 41 percent of its oil. Its unreliable green electricity prices were the highest in all of Europe.
To his credit, new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rang the alarm bell and announced he will expand natural gas imports from the Middle East and United States and even build up coal reserves. Germany may also extend the operation of nuclear plants scheduled to close this year.
But wouldn’t it have been better if the Germans had heeded the warnings of Trump and other critics back in 2018 rather than get in bed with the Russian bear?