Trump accuses Germany of being "captive" to Russia

BRUSSELS – US President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused Germany of being a "captive" of Russia because of its energy dependence in front of a NATO summit where he pressed his allies to more than double their expenses. After lashing out at NATO members for letting US taxpayers pay to protect themselves from Russia by not spending 2% of national revenue on defense, Trump told his colleagues that he would prefer a target of 4% of GDP – similar This would represent a mbadive disruption of budget priorities in Europe where Germany and many others have committed only to reach 2% by 2030. Asked to confirm Trump's proposal, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg did not give a direct answer, but said the primary goal was to reach 2%.

A White House official said that 4% was not a formal proposal. Defense spending in the United States rose to 3.6% of GDP in 2017.

Leaders officially reiterated their "unwavering commitment" to increase spending and better share the costs of common defense

. It is wrong to support an $ 11 billion pipeline from the Baltic Sea to import even more Russian gas while it is slow in reaching NATO's protection objectives against Russia. "19659004" We are supposed to guard against Russia and Germany. Trump seemed to grossly overestimate Germany's dependence on Russian energy and imply that Berlin was financing an oil pipeline whose German Chancellor Angela Merkel says it is a commercial venture [desmilliardsdedollarsparanenRussie”19659004] She countered Trump's remark that "Germany is totally controlled by Russia" through gas imports by contrasting her own experience of growing up in Soviet-controlled eastern Russia. many with sovereign and united Germany now playing a major role in NATO.

MAKING PEACE

Trump and Merkel subsequently held business discussions apart. Trump said he had a "very, very good relationship" with Merkel, who described the two as "good partners".

A source close to French President Emmanuel Macron said that Trump had expressed his "personal attachment" to Europe. Positive and constructive messages "to his allies."

"There is no break between America and Europe," said the source after Macron and Trump had "friendly" talks. on Trump's commercial tariffs on European steel and his demands for more contributions to ease the burden on US taxpayers, his earlier remarks fueled concerns among allies for the role of the US in maintaining the peace prevailing since the Second World War. of any reiteration of the annexation of Crimea by Russia called for unity while they arrived at the summit, while the Slovak President, Andre Kiska, declared that his country was "l & rsquo; One of the good ones "because it increased defense spending.

These comments highlight the risks to Trump's strategy by dividing the allies between those who spend the most on defense and those who do not, such as Belgium, Spain, Italy and the United States. Luxembourg, but who contribute with troops to the missions of NATO. Stoltenberg then told reporters that Trump, who will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, had used "very straightforward language", but that NATO spending was increasing sharply.

After joking, his breakfast with Trump at the residence of the US ambbadador The NATO leader was frank about the impact of Trump's criticism on Western allies at a wider level.

"There are disagreements about trade, it's serious, my job is to try to minimize the negative impact on NATO," he said.

"So far, it has not had such an impact on NATO, and I can not guarantee that this will not be the case in the future. The transatlantic link is not one, there are many links, some have been weakened. "

" CAPTIVE "OF RUSSIA

Trump had declared that the closure by the 39, Germany's coal and nuclear power plants for environmental reasons had increased its dependence, as much of the rest of Europe, on Russian gas and to make it "captive to Russia."

"We protect Germany, we protect France, we protect all these countries, and then many countries come out and conclude a pipeline agreement with Russia, where they pour billions of dollars into the coffers of Russia, "he said. "I think it's very inappropriate."

He also stated: "Germany is totally controlled by Russia because it receives 60 to 70% of its energy from Russia." This seemed to distort German energy consumption – about 20% comes from oil and gas imports from Russia.