BERLIN -- Germany’s vice chancellor said Thursday that Russia’s attack on Ukraine is “completely illogical” and will backfire, causing western nations to stop buying Russian coal, oil and gas — an important source of income for the resource-rich country.

       Robert Habeck, a powerful figure in the new German government whose portfolio includes economy and climate, said the crisis will strengthen the case for customers of Russian fossil fuels to pursue energy independence by boosting renewable sources.

       “From a rational point of view, this is completely illogical,” he told The Associated Press in an interview hours after Russia unleashed its military might against its smaller neighbor.

       “The complete West will turn away from Russia,” he said. “We will diversify our energy system. We will not buy Russian coal and gas in such an amount in the future.”

       Germany currently gets about half of its natural gas and coal from Russia, and a third of its oil.

       Allies such as the United States have long warned that the heavy reliance of Europe's biggest economy on Russia energy imports is a strategic risk given the growing friction with Moscow. Until recently, German officials insisted that Russia had proved itself to be a reliable supplier and even backed the construction of a new natural gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea, despite protests from the U.S. and other allies.

       Germany halted the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project Tuesday as tensions with Russia over Ukraine escalated — a move that was applauded in Washington and Kyiv.

       Habeck said measures to shore up gas reserves in recent months, along with a fortunate abundance of wind power following a blustery February, had helped prevent a shortage for consumers as energy prices shot up and Russia held back additional supplies.

       “We see a direct effect: the more renewable energy is in the market, the less natural gas we use,” he said.

       “I definitely think that the current situation will help the transition into renewable energy in Germany and Europe," he told The AP at his office in Berlin. “People see that it is not only a climate-related issue, but a safety or security-related issue right now.”

       But Habeck acknowledged that, on the diplomatic front, Germany's efforts to avert a conflict by refusing to supply Ukraine with weapons had failed and tough new sanctions on Russia might only work in the medium term.

       Habeck said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin personally should also face sanctions for his actions on Ukraine, and expressed doubt whether further talks with Putin would be helpful.

       “I think we have to talk with Russia, and Russia is more than Putin,” he said. “I hope that some people will speak for the other Russia, and they have a voice that can be heard and they will not be suppressed.”

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       Follow AP’s coverage of the Ukraine crisis at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine