Germany hopes better relations with US under US President Joe Biden will open the door for possible joint sanctions against China and Russia over human rights and abuse another, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Tuesday.
He said the transatlantic partners should work together to defend their common interests and values and lament the lack of coordinated action under former president Donald Trump.
Trump’s presidency was marked by intense pressure on Germany for not fulfilling defense spending obligations as ordered by the NATO military alliance, Germany’s desire to buy Russian natural gas, and trade policies.
Trump also angered European powers by pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which was reached when Biden was vice-president of the Barack Obama administration, as well as pressure to ban Huawei China from European 5G networks.