German's finance minister warned Thursday that Berlin was locked in an "energy war" against Vladimir Putin's Russia as his government announced a major new fund to cap soaring energy prices.
"We find ourselves in an energy war over prosperity and freedom," Finance Minister Christian Lindner told reporters, underlining that the massive shield against energy costs was a "crystal clear answer to Putin that... we are strong economically".
"After the sabotage by unknown actors in the Baltic Sea, the situation has intensified," he added, referring to catastrophic leaks in gas pipelines running from Russia to Germany.
