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BRUSSELS – Under fire for his warm embrace of Russia's Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump jolted the NATO summit Wednesday by turning a spotlight on Germany's ties to Russia and openly questioning the value of the military alliance
Angela Merkel's government "totally controlled" and "captive to Russia." So, in a stroke, he shifted attention away from his own eyes to the Kremlin just days before he meets one-on-one with Putin.
With scorching language, the president questioned the necessity of the alliance that formed a bulwark against Soviet aggression, tweeting after a day of contentious meetings: "What good is NATO if Germany is paying tribute to billions of dollars for gas and energy? "
German Chancellor Merkel hit back immediately, not only denying Trump's contention but suggesting that his comfo rtable upbringing in the US Gave Himself to a Spouse on the World Stage about Germany.
Drawing on her own background growing up in communist East Germany behind the Iron Curtain, she said:
"I've experienced myself a part of Germany controlled by the Soviet Union, and I'm very happy today that we are united in the Federal Republic of Germany and can thus say that we can determine our own policies and make our own decisions and that's very good. "
Trump demanded by the public for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization" must pay 2% of GDP IMMEDIATELY, not by 2025 "for their military efforts. He then rattled US allies further by privately suggesting that nations should spend 4 percent of their gross domestic product on the military – more than even the United States currently, according to NATO statistics.
It was just the latest in Trump's demands insults that criticism fear will undermine decades-old alliance launched to counter-balance Soviet aggression after World War II. And it came just days before Trump has gotten to the bottom of the European trip.
Trump has spent the last few days of the alliance for failing to increase military spending, accusing Europe of freeloading
Trump's tongue-lashing accelerated during a pre-summit breakfast, when he traded his usual long-distance Twitter attacks for face-to-face confrontation with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
"Trump said, repeated, Trump said, repeated describing Germany as "captive to Russia" because of the energy deal. He urged NATO to look into the issue.
Trump's harsh words for Merkel, whose country has hosted tens of thousands of US troops that have been key to post-WWII stability in Europe for seven decades, struck at the core of the alliance . West Germany joined NATO in 1955 and was a critical factor in the alliance's success in the Soviet Union until it collapsed. Reunified with the East, Germany became the largest European economy in NATO in 1990.
The president's beef was with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would bring gas from Russia to Germany's northeastern Baltic coast, bypassing Eastern European countries like Poland and Ukraine doubling the amount of gas Russia can send directly to Germany. The vast undersea pipeline is one of the most important EU members, who could give Moscow more leverage over Western Europe. It is expected to be online at the end of 2019.
Environmental-conscious Germany is trying to reduce its reliance on coal and is phasing out nuclear power by 2022, so it hopes to use natural gas
Hours after the breakfast, Merkel and Trump came back to the summit of sidelines. Trump told reporters the two had a "very, very good relationship" and congratulated Merkel on her "tremendous success."
While Trump went after Germany for its links to Russia, he himself improve relations with Moscow. He's also dismissed the US intelligence community's assessment that it has been undermined by Western Democracy in the United States.
Trump also lobbed up on allies' "delinquent" defense spending and suggested at one point that NATO allies commit to spending 4 percent of their GDP on defense – twice the goal they've set for 2024.
"I have great confidence they will be spending more," he said.
However, a formal summit Statement by the NATO Leaders Wednesday reaffirmed their "unwillingness" to the 2 percent pledge set in 2014 and made no reference to any effort.
Trump has repeatedly mischaracterized the spending target, incorrectly describing it as a fee countries pay to NATO or the US rather than their own military. NATO estimates that 15 members, or just over half, will meet the benchmark
Back in the US, Democratic Congressional Leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer issued a joint statement describing Trump's brazen insults and denigration One of America's most steadfast allies, Germany, "as" an embarrassment. "
" His behavior this morning is another profoundly disturbing signal that the president is more loyal to President Putin than to our NATO allies, "they wrote. ] Sen. Bob Corker, Tennessee Republican, also criticized Trump's rhetoric.
"I do not think it's important to have a second break, but the alliance is something that's very important to the United States and our citizenry, and things that are said to Putin, "Corker said, describing concerns" in the context of Helsinki, "when Trump sits down with the Russian president"
But Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, a strong supporter of the president, said the pipeline of the "heart of NATO unity."
"The pipeline gets cheap Russian gas to Germany while bypassing smaller Eastern European nations, allowing Russia to "1965,"
Associated Press Writers Ken Thomas, Darlene Superville, and Zeke Miller in Washington, DC Matthew Lee in Brussels and Maria Danilova in Moscow contributed to this report.
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President Donald Trump on a NATO summit Wednesday with claims on a natural gas pipeline deal on a left Germany "totally controlled" and "captive on Russia" as he lobbed fresh complaints about allies "delinquent" defense spending during the opening o
Trump also suggests that NATO allies commit to spending 4 percent of their gross domestic product on defense – double the current goal of 2 percent by 2024.
The President Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who has taken a break with the United States (1965) "I have to say, I think it is very sad when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia where we're supposed to be guarding against Russia, "Trump said at a breakfast with Stoltenberg. "
Trump repeatedly described Germany as" captive to Russia "because of the energy deal and urged NATO to look at the issue.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed back firmly, insisting that Germany makes her own decisions and draws on her own background in East Germany behind the Iron Curtain.
"I've experienced myself a We are here in the United States of America and we are united in the Federal Republic of Germany and we can say that we can determine our own policies and make our own decisions.
The President appeared to be referring to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would bring gas from Russia to Germany's northeastern Baltic coast, bypassing Eastern European countries and Ukraine doubling the amount of gas Russia can send directly to Germany. The vast undersea pipeline is one of the most important EU members, who could give Moscow more leverage over Western Europe. It is expected to be online at the end of 2019.
Environmental-conscious Germany is trying to reduce its reliance on coal and is phasing out nuclear power by 2022, so it hopes to use natural gas electricity grid can cope with fluctuating levels provided by renewable energy. The alternatives, including U.S. supply, are more expensive.
In their back-and-forth, Stoltenberg stressed their ability to work with their differences. "I think that two world wars and the Cold War taught us that we are stronger together than apart," he told the president, trying to calm tensions.
Trump's dramatic exchange with Stoltenberg set the tone for what was already expected to be Trump jittery presses allied about their military spending ahead of his meeting with Putin.
"The United States is paying far too much and other countries are not paying enough, especially some. So we're going to have a meeting on that, "Trump said, describing the situation as" disproportionate and not fair to the taxpayers of the United States. "
" They will spend more, "he later predicted. "I have great confidence they will be spending more."
And with that, he went on to push allies at the summit to double their commitment on defense spending.
"During the president's remarks today at the NATO summit "He said that they are not going to meet their commitment to 2 percent of their GDP on defense spending, but that they are increasing it to 4 percent," said White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders. She said that the President of the United States of America had the same issue, but that it was not necessary to meet the requirements of the United States.
the NATO leaders Wednesday reaffirmed their "unwavering commitment" to the 2 percent pledge set in 2014 and made no reference to any effort to get to 4 percent.
Trump's pipeline criticism was an unusual line of attack for a president who proclaimed himself EzineArticles – Expert Authors Sharing Their Best Original Articles Vladimir Putin Basic PLUS Author 1 Joined: December 6, 2008 United States Trump's Trump's Trump's Trump's Trump's Trump's Trump's Truth-and-Describe Germany, "as" an embarrassment. "
" His behavior is another profoundly disturbing signal that the president is more loyal to President Putin than to our NATO allies, "they wrote.
Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch also took issue with Trump, saying "I do not agree with that. Germans would not agree with that. They are a very strong people. "
But Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, a strong supporter of the president, said the pipeline of the "heart of NATO unity."
"The pipeline gets cheap Russian gas to Germany while bypassing smaller Eastern European nations, allowing Russia to While Trump 's claims on Germany are still strong, "he said, adding:" No amount of preening in Germany. "
Despite Trump' s claims about Germany, Merkel served as a forceful advocate for imposing – and maintaining – sanctions on Russia after it was annexed Crimea in 2014, arguing that it violated the principles of the international order established after World War II. The President is also the first leader to the impact of Nord Stream 2 on Europe, [url = http: //www.karenmillendressesmartuk.com]
Trump told reporters on the subject of a "very, very good relationship" and congratulated Merkel on her "tremendous success." Asked if they had discussed
Merkel, for her part, called the two nations "good partners" and said "we wish to continue to cooperate in the future."
Trump then puts with French President Emmanuel Macron, who said he disagreed with Trump's pipeline assessment. But the two appeared on good terms, with Trump joking about the fact that Macron had been asked about it.
Trump has long pushes NATO members to meet their agreement-to target of 2 percent by 2024 t of freeloading off the US
He tweeted from the summit: "What good is NATO if Germany is paying for billions of dollars for gas and energy? Why are they only 5 of 29 countries that have their commitment? The U.S. is paying for Europe's protection, then loses billions on Trade. Must pay 2% of GDP IMMEDIATELY, not by 2025. "
NATO estimates that 15 members, or just over half, will meet the benchmark by 2024 based on current trends.
Brussels is the first leg of a European weeklong "
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Associated Press writers Ken Thomas, Darlene Superville, and Zeke Miller in Washington, DC, and Maria Danilova in Moscow Contributed by this article. report
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Follow Colvin and Lemire on Twitter at https://twitter.com/colvinj and https://twitter.com/JonLemire
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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