The authorities of European countries, in particular Germany, were eagerly awaiting the return of the United States to partnership cooperation in foreign and security policy after Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election, but this did not happen. This is reported by the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel.
According to the newspaper, the federal government's hopes for Biden did not materialize. So, before the first personal meeting of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Washington made an important statement on Afghanistan without coordinating it with its allies. Berlin's disappointment was also caused by another step by the American authorities: after a meeting with his colleague, Blinken demanded that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline be stopped and did not rule out further sanctions to prevent the completion of its construction.
“This is what [former US President Donald] Trump has always threatened to do. Even German opponents of the pipeline are categorically against US extraterritorial sanctions, ”writes the author of the article.
On March 23, Blinken announced the White House's objections to the construction of Nord Stream 2 and called for the work to be stopped. He explained that the construction of the gas pipeline contradicts the energy goals of the European Union and undermines the security of Ukraine and other partners of NATO and the EU.
Earlier in March, France spoke about the irritation of Europeans over the US anti-Russian sanctions. Pierre Vimont, special envoy of President Emmanuel Macron for cooperation with Russia in the field of security, said that extraterritorial sanctions have become a favorite tool for punishing those who do not follow Washington's policy towards Moscow and Tehran. In Europe, such behavior is considered unacceptable, he said.
