President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have met after the US leader publicly lambasted the longtime ally over its spending on national defense and a Russian oil pipeline. The organization is asking all member states spend a minimum 2 percent of their GDP on defensive measures by 2024. While Trump was expected to present his complaints that NATO’s member nations don’t contribute enough and make the USA cover the defense bill, he ended up going on a tangent over this worldwide “delinquency”, and he also slammed the Germans over their energy dealings with Russian Federation.
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“President Trump’s brazen insults and denigration of one of America’s most steadfast allies, Germany, is an embarrassment”, read a statement from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
“NATO is not a stock exchange where you can buy security”.
Around eight members of the 29-country alliance are expected to reach the 2% target this year.
The claims stem from criticisms about burden-sharing that Trump has made since just prior to his inauguration in January 2017.
Arriving in Brussels, he said it was “totally inappropriate” that Germany was paying billions of dollars to Russian Federation for oil and gas while spending little over 1% of its GDP on defence. The US is paying for Europe’s protection, then loses billions on Trade.
“You can try to be a bean-counter and look at exactly how much of this, and how much that, but the fundamental question is: is what you are doing actually making a difference?”
She hit back at Trump’s remark by contrasting her own experience of growing up in Soviet-controlled East Germany with the sovereign, united Germany now playing a major role in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. “And I am very happy that today we are united in freedom”, Merkel said.
His demand that they raise their contributions to 4 percent came as a surprise during the first meeting of this week’s Brussels summit.
Diplomats were already anxious about the summit ahead of time, not least because of an abrasive G7 meeting last month, when Mr Trump renounced a summit communique that had previously been jointly agreed. “We decide our own policies and make our own decisions”.
United States officials have said Washington is planning a strategic review, a year after Mr Trump agreed to remain involved in the 17-year-long conflict.
“We are having a great meeting, discussing military expenditure”.
Trump’s comments were “ill-informed”, said Sen.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday launched a broadside against Germany in which he highlighted a growing connection between the two countries.
Trump will meet the Russian leader in Helsinki on July 16 for their first summit amid an ongoing investigation in the United States into possible Trump campaign collusion with Russia.
Trump heads to Britain on Thursday, where the government is in crisis over Brexit and where tensions with Russian Federation have spiked after London blamed Moscow for the death this month of a British woman from contact with the Novichok nerve agent. Here’s what he had to say about his talks with Chancellor Merkel.
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US President Donald Trump pauses while speaking to members of the media on July 10. But after a day of Trump throwing political hand grenades at Germany, he and Merkel gave a cool and cordial read out of their private meeting.
