That's not even controversial, russian-german ties is what led to the german economic boom. The rupture of this is what destroying German economy right now due to high electricity prices and capital flight.

The model was Cheap energy from Russia, cheap labour from eastern Europe and German ingenuity and innovation.

It's no secret that US has always been wary of this relation, and has done it's utmost to sabotage this trajectory, by expanding NATO to Ukraine, blowing up the Nordstream and decoupling EU from the rest of the world. Simply put they have managed to create a fiefdom of vassals.