“And then numerous of the countries go out and make a pipeline deal with Russia where they’re paying billions of dollars into the coffers of Russia”, Trump said.
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The president was calling out the planned Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russian Federation to Germany’s northeastern Baltic coast, which would bypass Eastern European nations and double the amount of gas that Russian Federation can pipe directly to Germany. “Will they reimburse the US?”
The US president said Berlin was a “captive to Russia” as a result of the Nord Stream II gas pipeline being constructed between Germany and Russian Federation.
Across the table during the explosive beginning to this breakfast with allies was NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who attempted to defuse the rant by softly noting that members of the alliance generally get along despite their differences.
“You tell me if that is appropriate?”
During the event on Tuesday, Stoltenberg alternated between trying to flatter Trump and pushing back on his attacks. “We can’t put up with it”, he said.
Trump has said maintaining a strong personal relationship with Putin is in America’s interest and has signaled to allies that he trusts his own instincts in dealing with Russia’s president.
President Trump is already making waves, just hours after arriving in Europe.
The troops will help “bring the stability and security that the Afghan people deserve”, she is expected to say.
The “pull-aside” meeting is set for Wednesday afternoon, following a group photo and luncheon meeting with gathered members of the military alliance. Tusk said that he did urge European allies to increase spending per their promises. “I have great confidence they’ll be spending more”.
Trump has long complained that European Nato members do not pay enough for their own defence, accusing them of freeloading on America and singling out Germany for particular criticism. “Many of these nations owe massive amounts of money from past years, and not paying in those past years”, Trump told the leaders of member countries.
That’s not how the spending works.
While it’s true that only a handful of the 28 member countries now spend 2 percent or more of their GDP on defense, a 2014 agreement gave all of them a decade to get to the 2 percent level.
He also repeated calls for the United States to create a permanent military base in Poland, despite German concern that this could mean moving out tens of thousands of USA troops from Germany. But, after a sit-down session with the chancellor, the USA president was singing a revised tune, saying the bond between the increasingly uneasy allies was bigger – more “tremendous” even – than any differences between the leaders.
Trump interjected, asking Stoltenberg why he thought that had happened.
Stoltenberg responded by emphasizing NATO’s unity.
“Over the a year ago, about $40 billion more has been given by other countries to help North Atlantic Treaty Organisation but that’s not almost enough”, he told reporters. “I think that getting along with Russian Federation, getting along with China, is a good thing”. “He may be the only one, but that’s OK with me”, he said.
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“If the President leaves the Putin meeting without ironclad assurances and concrete steps toward a full cessation of Russian attacks on our democracy, this meeting will not only be a failure – it will be a grave step backward for the future of the worldwide order and global security”, Schumer and Pelosi said in their statement. He recently suggested that his relationship with Putin is “easier” than his relationships with U.S. allies in Britain and Europe.
