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From the first hour on Wednesday, the American president renewed his criticisms against the Europeans, and particularly against Germany, violently targeted in a diatribe of several minutes. Seated for a breakfast with NATO Secretary General, whose summit is held Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels, Donald Trump went on a rampage against Berlin: "Germany enriches Russia. She is a prisoner of Russia. Germany is completely controlled by Russia. It pays billions of dollars to Russia for its energy supplies and we have to pay to protect it against Russia. How to explain this? It's not fair. "
" Sharing the burden "
This offensive and provocative kick-off is a reflection of the American president's statements well before the NATO summit began. Donald Trump first attacked the defense budgets of European states, which he considers insufficient. Since 2014, Atlantic Alliance members have committed to spending 2% of their gross domestic product within 10 years. A numerical objective intended to embody the "shared burden" of collective security. France is a good student, with an expected increase to reach the famous 2% in 2025. Germany, on the contrary, concentrates the American fury with its 1.24% of GDP for the defense. Last month, Washington formally reminded this commitment to a dozen allies, including Berlin. Tuesday night, Trump sent him on Twitter, going even further: "Many NATO countries, which we are supposed to defend, not only do not keep their commitment of 2% (which is low) but have failed for years in their payments they do not pay. Will they repay the United States? " On Wednesday, he flatly suggested to the allies to go up to 4% of GDP …
In the morning, it is another angle of attack that chose the American president. He fired the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, which is to double the capacity of "pipe" currently linking Russia to Germany. About half of the gas bought by Europeans comes from Russia, making the continent the largest market of energy giant Gazprom. The Russian company has joined forces with five Europeans, including Engie, to finance this gigantic 9.5 billion euro project which will be completed by the end of 2019. But the project has not been smooth, dividing the members deeply. of the EU. For Poland, Ukraine or the Baltic States, this new gas pipeline reinforced a little more the dependence on Russia, the State being the majority shareholder of Gazprom, whereas it would have been necessary on the contrary "Diversify the supply of natural gas" . Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz has plunged into Trump's crackdown to reiterate his opposition to the gas pipeline on Wednesday when he arrived at NATO Headquarters. This project "is an example of European countries that provide funds to Russia and give it means that can be used against the security of Poland" he denounced.
"Concessions "
Trump is about a weak point in Europe, but also in Germany. "Merkel has long defended this pipeline as purely commercial and non-political. His speech then evolved to explain the need for dialogue with Russia, including with this type of project, notes Barbara Kunz, researcher at the French Institute of International Relations. The whole of Germany is not aligned behind her. It has become the most problematic subject of the moment. "
The subject ruffles all the more Washington, including the Congress, that the United States wants to conquer new markets for their natural gas. "Trump links defense issues with commercial and industrial issues. He uses the question of defense budgets to obtain concessions from Europeans and especially from Germany on the commercial level " observes the political scientist and director in Paris of the think tank German Marshall Fund of the United States, Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer. For the researcher, this is a first: never an American president had used the defense "as a tool of blackmail to its closest allies" . With some success so far, she notes: "Europeans are willing to compromise on customs duties on imported US cars and to buy more natural gas from the United States." [19659004] On Wednesday, the German Chancellor reacted soberly to Trump's remarks. At the end of a bilateral meeting of which she was satisfied, Angela Merkel played the appeasement: "We are good partners and we wish to continue to cooperate." Trump meanwhile radically changed tone, praising his "very good relations" with Germany after this tete-a-tete. In his speech at the first meeting of the summit, Emmanuel Macron has meanwhile called, according to the Elysee, to "do not weaken the Alliance" believing that a disunion of NATO "would eventually be the source of even greater expenses" . Berlin, although in the viewfinder of Trump, finally has not many options, Judge Barbara Kunz: "Germany is very Atlanticist, its security is guaranteed by the United States and NATO is at the center of its defense policy. Germany is resting on the United States. It is petrified, without plan B as long as there is no jump from the Europe of the defense. "
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