German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel urged Washington to reject unilateral sanctions against Moscow and coordinate policy towards Russia with the European Union.

Germany has repeatedly called on Washington to act jointly, Gabriel said the day after U.S. Senate approved new sanctions against Russia, DW reported.

At the same time Gabriel emphasized that Brussels and Washington have a common goal to support settlement of the Ukrainian crisis and have a common view that political pressure on Moscow is needed.

German foreign minister added that EU would not accept any new US sanctions against Russia that targeted European companies at the same time.

“Sanction policy is neither a suitable nor an adequate instrument to advance the interests of national exports and the domestic energy sector,” he said.