Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck wants to reduce dependence on Russian gas.

"We have to improve our provisions for next winter," said the Greens politician to the newspapers Funke-Mediengruppe and the French newspaper "Ouest-France" in an interview published on Saturday.

The geopolitical situation is forcing Germany to “create other import options and diversify supplies, including infrastructural issues.”

That is security policy.

“We have to act here and protect ourselves better.

If we don't do that, we become a pawn."

Habeck continued to criticize that the gas market was completely deregulated.

“So far we have no government influence.

It can't stay that way," he said.

"Concern that Russia will also use its gas supplies against German interests"

At the same time, Habeck warned of the consequences of commissioning the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline. "Geopolitically, Nord Stream 2 not only increases dependence on Russian gas, but also the concentration on a supply route that is vulnerable," he said.

Nord Stream 2 increases the need to diversify gas supplies.

"The last few weeks and the conflict in eastern Ukraine have increased our concern that Russia will also use its gas supplies against German interests."

Should Russia attack Ukraine, "any sanction that is suitable for forcing Russia to withdraw is conceivable," said Habeck.

The situation is currently precarious, the aim must be de-escalation.

"At the same time, it is right that the USA and the European Union say in great agreement: If Russia invades Ukraine, it will pay a high economic price for it."

According to a media report, Ukraine wants to test disconnect from the Russian power grid due to tensions with Russia.

At the end of February, the country wants to separate itself from the Russian and Belarusian power grid for several days and switch the electricity supply to "island operation", reported the "Welt am Sonntag".

After this test and another test run in the summer, the Ukraine should become part of the Western European interconnected grid (ENTSO-E) at the beginning of next year.

According to "Welt am Sonntag", the planned electrical connection to the west of Ukraine is considered problematic in specialist circles because the country is dependent on the cooperation of Russia during the temporary test operation in island mode.

A spokesman for the system leader of the United Russian Energy Systems (EES) confirmed to the “Welt am Sonntag” that the Ukrainian company Ukrenergo carried out three days between February 24 and 26 “systemic tests with the transition of the United Ukrainian Energy System to the one planned by the Energy Union of the CIS countries and the Baltic States detached operation” plan.

The tests are taking place "according to the program agreed with EES and Belenergo and approved by Ukrenergo," said EES spokesman Dmitry Batarin.

After the tests are completed, “the United Energy System of Ukraine will be synchronized with the Russian EES and the United Energy System of Belarus”.

Relations between Ukraine and Russia are currently extremely tense.

According to Western sources, Russia has gathered more than 100,000 soldiers and heavy equipment on the Ukrainian border.

The West therefore fears a Russian attack on the neighboring country.

Russia rejects the accusations and at the same time states that it feels threatened by NATO.