Cold War 2? Germany hits out at US-Russia sanctions warning against new “ice age”

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel spoke out against the sanctions as he attempted to ease relations between Germany and Russia. 

Earlier this month US President Donald Trump approved new sanctions on Moscow for its 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula and for what US intelligence agencies say was its meddling in the US presidential election, a charge Russia denies.

But Mr Gabriel said Europe is concerned the US sanctions could have “unintended consequences” after meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Washington.

Mr Gabriel said: “We as Europeans have great concerns that this will have unintended consequences for Europe.

“We don’t want to completely destroy our business relations with Russia, especially in the energy sector.”

The Foreign Minister has criticised the US for the move, saying the new punitive measures expose European companies involved in energy projects in Russia to fines for breaching US. law.

Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries even urged the EU to retaliate against the United States if the new sanctions on Russia should end up penalising German firms.

Mr Gabriel said European leaders were concerned the latest sanctions would not only have economic consequences, but could also “lead to a new ice age between Russia and the United States and the West.”

Kurt Volker, the newly appointed US special representative for Ukraine, told broadcaster Deutsche Welle, that Washington would not forge any agreement with Moscow “over the heads of the Ukrainians or behind the backs of the Europeans.”

He told told Deutsche Welle: “The US has made clear we fully support the Normandy process, and it’s not our intention to become a part of it or to try to go over the top of it.” 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the EU’s sanctions will be lifted once Russia agrees to a ceasefire in the Ukraine. 

Mrs Merkel said: “Ukraine does not have full sovereignty.”

She said the removal of sanctions would be economically beneficial to both Russia and Germany. 

Mrs Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron have called for Russia and Ukraine to increase their efforts to implement the ceasefire agreement.

The leaders have urged Russia and the Ukraine to implement the 2015 Minsk agreement in order to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine. 

Since it erupted in 2014 the conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists has claimed more than 10,000 lives.

Germany and France have tried to convince both sides to implement a peace deal agreed in Minsk in 2015 but with little success so far.

Russia has been subject to sanctions from the European Union, the US and other countries since 2014 when it backed pro-Russian and ant-government groups in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, which resulted in the annexation of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea.