Germany will show solidarity with the countries of the European Union in search of an alternative to gas and oil from the Russian Federation. In particular, by helping landlocked eastern states gain access to liquefied natural gas (LNG), Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, Euractiv reports..

In his speech after a meeting with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Scholz stressed that many countries, trying to reduce dependence on energy imports from Russia, faced even more serious problems than Germany..

According to Fiala, imports of Russian gas coming through the pipeline account for more than 90% of gas consumption in the landlocked Czech Republic..

“We must be ready to help countries that do not have direct access to the North or Baltic Sea and must rely on our cooperation with them,” Scholz said, adding that the details are still to be worked out..

Earlier Thursday, Germany moved to increase its LNG imports by leasing four floating storage and regasification units and selecting the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven as its first transshipment hub..

Separately, Germany has begun filling the huge Rehden gas storage abandoned by Russia's Gazprom..

The fact that sooner or later the European Union will have to take measures against the import of gas and oil from Russia was previously stated by the President of the European Council Charles Michel.