apt doesn't need gnupg in its main execution paths to function,
especially the Release file verification is done with gpgv only.
It is only used by apt-key for advanced key management functionality
most user will never use nor need.
The intend is to demote it eventually to Suggests, but we opt here for a
staged downgrade as there are still third-party repositories out there
which require apt-key functionality without depending on gnupg (or apt
for that matter).