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"Germany is totally controlled by Russia," repeated the US president. It derives 60% of its energy from Russia. I think it's a very bad thing for NATO that should not happen.
The Head of State made this statement on the sidelines of a luncheon with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
The German government is currently negotiating a pipeline project, Nord Stream 2, which must connect Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea, a project that does not particularly appeal to Washington
[L’Allemagne paie] billions of dollars to Russia and we must defend them against Russia […] This is not normal.
"If you look good, Germany is in the hands of Russia. They got rid of their coal plants, their nuclear plants. Most of Germany's oil and gas comes from Russia. I think NATO needs to look at this more closely, "said the US Head of State.
In fact, German oil and gas imports from Russia amount to about 20% of the energy mix of Germany, rather than the "60-70%" put forward by Mr. Trump
This charge is part of a broader context in which Donald Trump claims since his rise to power that his NATO allies are increasing their military spending. On many occasions, the White House tenant has called on these countries to contribute at least 2% of their GDP by 2024.
"We protect Germany, France .. We are protecting all these countries, "he said, arguing that the US" pays far too much. "
" It's disproportionate and unfair to US taxpayers, "he said.
For 2018, US military expenditures accounted for about 70% of NATO's total defense disbursements.
For his part, Mr. Stoltenberg acknowledged that there was still some Work to be done
"We agree that there is no fair sharing of the burden in NATO," he said. Some allies would like to see a faster increase, but we are going in the right direction.
Merkel fights back
Three hours after Trump's exit about Russian natural gas imports and the slow pace of the increase in German military budgets, which are reaching for the moment 1.2% of GDP, Merkel assured the press that "Germany is today united in freedom."
"We make our own decisions," added the Chancellor, arguing that this "was very good, especially for the people of the east of the country ", in reference to the division of the country into two entities, one of them under Soviet control, during the Cold War.
Still according to Ms. Merkel , "Germany does a lot for NATO". Berlin is "the second largest troop provider" of the alliance, she said.
We are also heavily involved in Afghanistan. In this sense, we also defend the interests of the United States.
Donald Trump must meet later in the day with Ms. Merkel, as well as with the French President Emmanuel Macron
Chancellor Merkel also received a diplomatic boost from Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland
In a scrum held before the opening of the summit Brussels, Ms. Freeland noted that Canada is also making its own foreign policy choices.
The minister did not want to say whether she thought the US president understood how NATO works, he says that countries that do not spend 2% of their GDP on defense are "debtors" of the United States.
"I can assure you that Canadians understand very well the functioning of bilateral institutions," she said.
For his part, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that "there is still some perspective on the possibility of doing more, […] we can talk about it, but the reality is that the solidarity, the importance of NATO remains. "
" Blackmail to Security "
Behind the scenes of Western politics, we do not dare to spell out expectations for the Brussels meeting, especially since a snub at the very end of the G7 summit in Charlevoix, where President Trump retrospectively withdrew his signature from the final communique
"Nobody knows what the US president will say, even his teams do not know not, "said a French diplomat, adding that one should not" over-invest in expectations. "
" It is expected that the summit will show the unity of the allies, but our fear, it is not achieved, "he continued. Paris, citing a possible "blackmail to security" by the US President.
Despite these tensions, the Secretary General of NATO reiterated the need to maintain "unity" within the alliance
"NATO is a good alliance; as long as we are united, we will preserve this secure environment that is dear to us all, "Stoltentberg said.
This question of Western unity seems more important than ever, just days before a first bilateral meeting between the presidents of the United States and Russia in Helsinki, Finland
"We must be strong and firm [face à la Russie] and, as long as we remain united, we will be able to have a political dialogue with the Russians", Secretary-General of NATO said:
Among the other topics to be discussed at the summit, NATO Allies will discuss an invitation to join NATO to be sent to the Republic of Macedonia North as well as the launch of a training mission for the Iraqi security forces, to be commanded by Canada.
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