By Tsarizm Staff | July 3, 2020

In response to a bipartisan proposal to bring a second wave of sanctions on Germany and Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline in early June of this year, former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder has labeled the move as an attack on the U.S-German relationship. The former head of state went as far to declare the move could be a “termination of the transatlantic partnership”.

“A draft law currently under discussion in the US Congress is “a widespread, unjustified attack on the European economy and an unacceptable interference with EU sovereignty and the energy security of Western Europe,” Schröder writes in his statement for a public hearing of the Economic Committee scheduled for Wednesday in the Bundestag,” wrote German financial paper Dusseldorf Handelsblatt or “Commerce Sheet.”  

The proposal to “clarify and expand U.S. sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline” was introduced in early June in a rare bipartisan effort to the Senate. The proposal was led by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). 

These sanctions come as the pipeline was frozen with 100 miles or 6% left to be completed in 2019, wrote Forbes. The American sanctions are just one of several obstacles the Nord Stream 2 pipeline has been facing.

The proposal for further sanctions come as President Trump has been pushing Germany to reach 2% of their GDP in defense expenditures as their NATO contract obligates. The thinking in The White House is that Germany has been essentially freeloading on American and NATO provided defense while giving away their own energy security to Russia.

“When Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia,” Trump said to Stoltenberg. “We’re supposed to be guarding against Russia and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia, reported Reuters.

“We’re protecting Germany, we’re protecting France, we’re protecting all of these countries. And then numerous of the countries go out and make a pipeline deal with Russia where they’re paying billions of dollars into the coffers of Russia.

“So we’re supposed to protect you against Russia and you pay billions of dollars to Russia and I think that’s very inappropriate,” Trump said at the residence of the U.S. ambassador in Brussels.

“Germany will have almost 70 percent of their country controlled by Russia with natural gas. You tell me, is that appropriate?,” he asked, while Stoltenberg listened.

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This piece originally appeared on Tsarizm.com and is used by permission.

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