German Foreign Minister calls new U.S. sanctions against Russia 'unlawful'
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel hopes that U.S. President Donald Trump will prevent his country from imposing energy sanctions on Russia in their current form, reported German broadcasting company Deutsche Welle.
“We ... are happy that the American president has not yet decided what he is going to do. He has the opportunity to discuss these sanctions with us, considering European interests,” Gabriel said.
“I am in very close contact with my American counterpart,” the German foreign minister said. “We, like Europeans, insist that there is no action at the expense of European interests.”
Gabriel called the tough sanctions, which were approved by the U.S. Senate, unlawful. The minister accused the U.S. of mixing political and economic interests. He said that Washington wants to squeeze Russian gas out of the European market to make room for American gas. The Foreign Minister considers a joint approach best; the United States and Europe should work together to create a sanction policy against Russia, given the role of Moscow in the conflict in Ukraine.
On July 27, the U.S. Senate passed a bill on sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea, after which it was sent to President Donald Trump for his signature. The day before, the White House stated that it strongly supports the sanction policy against Moscow.
Earlier, Tillerson released a message explaining that the introduction of new anti-Russian sanctions indicates that the U.S. wants to see Russia take steps to improve bilateral relations. The diplomat also expressed his hope for cooperation between the countries regarding major global issues, noting that this would eliminate the need for sanctions.