Europe will end its energy dependence on Russia but to do so from one day to the next would plunge it into a recession, risking hundreds of thousands of jobs and entire industrial sectors, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday (March 23).
"Yes, we will end this dependency - as soon as possible. But to do this from one day to the next would mean plunging our country and the whole of Europe into a recession," Scholz told the Bundestag lower house of parliament.
"Hundreds of thousands of jobs would be in danger. Whole branches of industry would be on the brink," he said. "Sanctions should not hurt European states harder than the Russian leadership."
