Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned.
-William Butler Yeats, "The Second Coming"
We consider this as being against international law, plain and simple. Of course we don't want a trade war. But it is important the European Commission now looks into countermeasures.(bold italics added)
According to the minister, "the Americans can not punish German companies because they operate economically in another country."The new US bill on anti-Russian sanctions will affect European countries cooperating with Russia in the energy sector, and, therefore, these restrictive measures can ultimately run counter to international law, German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Brigitte Zypries, said in an interview with the newspapers, which are part of Germany's Funke media group, published on Monday.
Last week, both chambers of the US Congress decided to impose new sanctions against Russia over its Crimea reunification and alleged meddling in US elections. The bill has still to be signed by US President Donald Trump. This is the first time Washington has made a move against Moscow without European consent.
"According to Zypries, Europe does not want a trade war with the US, that is why it has always been in favor of coordinated efforts with the US on the sanctions policy issue. In light of this, she recalled that the EU is exploring possible tit-for-tat moves.
The US Senate earlier approved a bill specifying tougher unilateral American sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea. Now this document titled "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act" will be submitted to US President Donald Trump for his potential stamp of approval to become law.
"We consider the attempts of the US and some other countries to shift the responsibility in what is happening [on the Korean Peninsula] onto Russia and China, and to almost blame Moscow and Beijing for 'conniving in' North Korea's nuclear missile ambitions, as baseless," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday.
"We call on all sides involved to refrain from any steps that could lead to further escalation of tensions," it added.Earlier, the US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, said that any new resolution by the UN Security Council "that does not significantly increase the international pressure on North Korea is of no value."
Comment: Sorry, Maduro, you didn't run it by Washington first, so it's illegitimate. You're fired!