German Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that in the light of the agreement between Russia and Ukraine on gas transit, the entry into force of the sanctions is at an inappropriate moment.
The introduction by the US of sanctions against the “Nord Stream 2” and “Turkish Stream” projects is an interference in the internal affairs of Germany and Europe and causes misunderstanding. This was announced on Saturday by Vice Chancellor, Minister of Finance of Germany Olaf Scholz on ARD TV channel.
“Such sanctions are a serious interference in the internal affairs of Germany and Europe. We firmly reject this,” he said. In addition, Scholz noted that in the light of the agreements between Russia and Ukraine on gas transit, the entry into force of sanctions is at an inappropriate moment. “The European Union and Germany have been very helpful in efforts to reach this agreement before the end of the year. Therefore, this [imposition of sanctions] is not only wrong, but also politically unwise”, – the vice-chancellor stressed.
Scholz noted that the German government is against countermeasures. “Now the following decisions must first be made by the companies involved in the construction of the gas pipeline [Nord Stream – 2]. It is clear that we do not accept that such sanctions are imposed and we will clearly point this out to the American government at all negotiations and at every opportunity”, – the politician assured.
At the same time, he believes it is unlikely that the sanctions will stop the implementation of “Nord Stream – 2”.