Days after taking office as Germany’s vice-chancellor and economy minister in December, Robert Habeck asked his most senior officials for a detailed assessment of his country’s dependence on Russian energy. The result shocked him. The country heavily relied on Russian hydrocarbons to power vehicles and factories and heat homes, and there was no contingency plan to secure other supplies, Mr. Habeck said. The government had no viable alternative to Russian imports. Mr. Habeck had come to power after campaigning to curb Germany’s ties with President Vladimir Putin ’s regime, which he said were untenable as Russia became increasingly autocratic and belligerent toward Ukraine and the West. Only after taking office, he said, did he realize the enormousness of the task. “I thought to myself ‘the situation we are […]