AMN
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed concerns over proposed new US sanctions against Russia saying it could hurt European companies, her spokesman says. He called the plans “peculiar.”
According to DW, Chancellor Angela Merkel is worried that a US Senate proposal to impose sanctions on Russia over alleged meddling in the 2016 US election could have economic repercussions for the European Union’s economy, her spokesman said on Friday.
The US Senate on Wednesday approved new sanctions against Russia, including some affecting certain Russian energy projects in which EU partners are also involved.
Seibert said it was “peculiar” that sanctions aimed at punishing Russia could also lead to penalties against European companies.
“This must not happen,” he said. “We generally reject sanctions with extraterritorial effects, meaning an impact on third countries.”
Merkel’s concern at the US plans, which were not coordinated with EU allies, chimes in with that of German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern, who in a joint statement on Thursday also hit out at the proposed sanctions.