Yesterday’s vote by the US Senate to expand sanctions against Russia into their energy sector is not sitting well with Germany and Austria, two nations which have a keen economic interest in ensuring Europe’s energy supply, and who see the US sanctions as a threat to their national interests.
“Europe’s energy supply is a matter of Europe, and not for the United States of America,” warned German FM Sigmar Gabriel and Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern, who issued a joint statement today, adding that the US move risked them reducing cooperation with respect to Ukraine.
Russia is the primary energy exporter to much of Europe, particularly with respect to natural gas. The joint statement accused the US move of being related to its “economic interest in exporting gas” to Europe, something that has been a top priority for some US energy companies.
Largely, the US is just interested in sanctioning anything and everything Russia related these days, and since the US has limited direct economic ties with Russia they don’t see the need to limit sanctions on aspects of the Russian economy which might do serious harm to key US allies. It has long been expected that the sanctions would wear thin in Europe after awhile, and ultimately the US may be hastening the European Union’s exit from the sanctions effort.
Too bad Gabriel has no say and ueber-establishment-puppet Merkel surely will celebrate the sanctions soon.
Unlike the clusterpfuque clown show that is the US Administration where anybody and their in-bred 3rd cousin make statements without clearing it with The Orange One, when European countries make statements, especially a joint statement with another European country, they usually have the blessing of the head of state.
Don’t see what Trump has to do with any of this, but Gabriel’s and Merkel’s statements often don’t match with Gabriel taking the reasonable approach and Merkel repeating the obligatory establishment bs.
The U.S. Congress must pass a complete and total embargo of Russian natural gas to Europe. This will show ‘U.S. leadership’. According to Neocons, the world craves U.S. leadership.
It is easy politics at home to sanction by cutting off someone else’s economy. Let’s you and them fight. It is not so easy to get away with it.