Alexei Navalny and a German dilemma

Sir, – Apparently Germany faces a dilemma with regards to the recent poisoning of Alexei Navalny and its continued involvement with the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

The only dilemma, as I see it, is the one Germany, or rather Gerhard Schröder (former German chancellor, and current chairman of the board of Nord Stream AG and the Russian energy giant Rosneft) created with the decision to phase out nuclear (Germany’s only reliable green energy source) in favour of unreliable renewables, which now either require extensive back-up from filthy domestically mined brown coal, or imported Russian gas.

If all the money Germany had squandered on its energy transition programme had instead been spent on nuclear power, it would likely have a carbon-neutral grid by now, and energy security would be a non-issue.

It frankly boggles the mind that any Nato member would leave something as critical as its energy supply to the mercy of Russia. – Yours, etc,

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NICK BUCKNELL,

Bray,

Co Wicklow.