Spiegel: German Green Party demands expropriation of Rosneft unit in the country
The German parliamentary group Alliance 90/The Greens (The Greens) is demanding that the country's government take decisive action against Russian energy giant Rosneft and the expropriation of its German unit, German weekly magazine Spiegel reports.
A month ago, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, together with the leaders of France, Poland, and Great Britain, issued an ultimatum to Russia during a visit to Kyiv.
According to the statement, if Russia does not cease fire in Ukraine within 30 days, sanctions against it will be strengthened. But no new restrictions have appeared from Germany since then, although hostilities are still ongoing.
Now representatives of the German party Alliance 90/The Greens are demanding that the Merz government keep its promises.
"The German government must act and expropriate Rosneft Deutschland," said Michael Kellner, the Greens' energy policy spokesman.
The Russian oil company continues to invest in Germany. It owns a majority stake in the refinery in Schwedt (Brandenburg), as well as smaller stakes in refineries in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.
Although the company's German "subsidiary" has been under the control of the German government since 2022, its legal owner still remains Rosneft.
In the event of nationalization, Russia will likely demand compensation, but the Greens propose transferring the money to a special account and freezing it until the end of the war in Ukraine.
Now, according to Kellner, is the time to take a decisive step: "It would be a show of solidarity with our friends in Europe and a clear signal to Putin ." He added that "it would also ensure the safety of refinery workers."
The Greens also call on the Merz government to pressure the EU to include the issue of seizing Rosneft assets in the new, 18th package of sanctions .
It already includes a reduction in the price ceiling for Russian oil from $60 to $45 per barrel, as well as plans to reduce imports of Russian LNG to Europe and limit the activities of the shadow fleet of Russian tankers.
- In March 2023, a court in Germany dismissed Rosneft's lawsuit against the German government and upheld the legality of its decision to transfer the refinery to a Russian company under external management.
- Germany is preparing to nationalize Rosneft Deutschland from 2024. The Kremlin said that this is a "corporate issue" and Rosneft is protecting its own interests.
- In February 2025, Germany extended the temporary management of Rosneft Deutschland's assets until September 2025 due to the delay in the deal with Qatar.
