German Finance Minister Christian Lindner defended on Monday an aid package worth up to €200 billion ($196.4 billion) to subsidize gas prices amid criticism from abroad. “We don’t do economic stimulation, what we are doing is dampening ruinous price peaks,” Lindner said when arriving at a meeting of euro area finance ministers in Luxembourg. The aid package would be proportionate to the size of the German economy, Lindner said, and “has the character of a protective cushion.” The announcement of the German gas price aid package sparked criticism abroad. Other EU countries including Italy, Spai…