Foreign policy spokesman for Angela Merkel’s conservatives in German Parliament, Juergen Hardt, said U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell's warning is a direct threat and an unacceptable one-sided tightening of the tone in the transatlantic relationship.
Earlier, Grenell issued a warning to German companies involved in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, telling them they could face sanctions if they take part in the project.
"That the U.S. ambassador is now turning to German companies with direct threats is a new and unacceptable one-sided tightening of the tone in the transatlantic relationship," he said.
"If the U.S. president thinks he has to publicly show he is getting tough on Russia in view of the many question marks regarding his relationship with Moscow, he should not thereby impair the relationship with his most important ally," Reuters cited Hardt as saying.
