German agency takes charge of subsidiary of Russia’s Gazprom

BERLIN (AP) — Germany has put a government agency in charge of a longtime German subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom after an opaque move last week by the parent company to cut ties with the unit. Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Monday that Germany’s network regulator has been appointed as Gazprom Germania’s trustee until Sept. 30. Habeck says the government “is doing what is necessary to ensure security of supplies in Germany, and that includes not exposing energy infrastructure in Germany to arbitrary decisions by the Kremlin.” It wasn’t immediately clear what was behind Gazprom’s move, which came amid tensions between Russia and the European Union over natural gas deliveries.