In a recent interview with The Economist, Friedrich Merz, who is likely soon to be chancellor of Germany, said that there would be no return to Russian gas “for the time being”, but conspicuously failed to rule out the possibility.

The Kremlin said on Monday it would have to wait and see how ties between Russia and any new German government evolved after Sunday's election victory for Friedrich Merz's conservatives, saying there could be areas of cooperation of mutual interest.

Friedrich Merz, whose conservative party is ahead in polls before Sunday’s election, sees an “epochal rupture” with a United States that is more aligned with Russia.

South Korea's Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun will travel to Washington D.C. from Wednesday through to Friday to press again for an exemption from U.S. steel tariffs and discuss ways to boost cooperation in energy and shipbuilding, his ministry said.

The victory in the general elections in Germany was expected to be won by the CDU/CSU bloc. He will be asked to form a new government of the country. The new chancellor of Germany will be the leader of the Christian Democrats Friedrich Merz — a man hated by Angela Merkel.

Outgoing German chancellor Olaf Scholz conceded the election and decried the historic gains of the far-right conservative party, AfD. Early exit polls show AfD is headed for second place, while opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s conservatives are in the lead and Scholz’s party fell to third.

Germany's mainstream conservatives have won the country's national election, while a far-right party surged to become the country's second-largest party.

Friedrich Merz wants to form a government by Easter, but will face significant hurdles as he tries to find a compromise over policies with centre-left rivals the Social Democrats.

The conservative party in Germany dominated elections during the weekend, with Friedrich Merz poised to become the nation's next chancellor.