Four years of sanctions against Russia, and now the United States has personally invited Russia back—leaving European countries caught off guard! On September 1st, according to a report by Lianhe Zaobao, the Russian government announced that on Monday, during the G20 summit held in Asheville, North Carolina, USA, Russian Finance Minister Sergei Storonin held talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Brian Besecker. European nations claimed this appearance was an "unexpected surprise," prompting immediate condemnation and protests from European officials.
Regarding the attendance of the Russian finance minister, German Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister Christian Lindner stated that he and his European counterparts refused to join Russian Finance Minister Storonin for the traditional group photo taken at the G20 summit. Russia had not attended any face-to-face G20 finance minister meetings for four years, but now its finance minister is back at the table—an indication that someone is attempting to normalize the current situation. Therefore, we must resolutely resist such actions. At present, there is no normal relationship between us and Russia. Lindner added sharply: “Inviting the Russian finance minister makes me angry. The U.S. should clearly state that the Russian minister is not being treated as an ordinary participant.”
Evidently, four years ago, it was the United States that led the imposition of sanctions against Russia, resulting in the Russian finance minister's absence from all face-to-face G20 finance minister meetings. Yet, after four years, the U.S., hosting the G20 series of events on home soil, has now brought Russia back—leaving Europe deeply furious. Why are countries like Germany so enraged? There are three main reasons.
First, the U.S. invitation may have been issued without consulting Europe at all. European nations were kept in the dark, giving them a sense of betrayal.
Second, countries like Germany don’t just feel betrayed—they feel outright abandoned. To enforce sanctions on Russia, Germany has paid the highest price among European nations. Forced to purchase liquefied natural gas at high prices from the U.S. and Qatar, Germany saw its critical Nord Stream pipeline destroyed, and incurred hundreds of billions in military aid expenditures. Now, suddenly, the U.S. brings Russia back into the fold. What exactly is the U.S. aiming for? This leaves Germany feeling that all their efforts may have been in vain—like trying to carry water in a bamboo basket.
Third, Germany is deeply concerned that the U.S. might be secretly negotiating a major deal with Russia to lift sanctions, then forcing Europe to accept it. As Europe’s largest economy, Germany may end up having no say whatsoever at the negotiation table. German Finance Minister Lindner said, “The return of the Russian finance minister signals that someone is trying to normalize the current situation.” Clearly, that someone is the United States. Europe can plainly see that U.S.-Russia relations may soon be returning to normal.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875087990848516/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.