Scholz confident Germany can weather energy crisis in winter

By FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says his government won’t leave citizens freezing or unable to pay their energy bills but acknowledges his country faces considerable challenges in the coming months. Rising fuel costs sparked by Russia’s war against Ukraine have put severe financial strain on many in Germany and beyond, raising concerns about a possible winter of discontent. During his annual summer news conference in Berlin, Scholz cited numerous measures the government already adopted to ease financial hardship and to secure alternative energy supplies to replace Russian oil, coal and gas. Asked whether he feared that frustration could boil over into violent protests, Scholz replied, “I don’t believe that there will be unrest … in this country.”