‘Germany is a captive of Russia’: Trump dresses down NATO’s secretary general and threatens Berlin over its lagging defense spending and energy partnership with Putin’s government
Donald Trump unleashed his fury on NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday morning after the leader asked him about Vladimir Putin
‘Germany is totally controlled by Russia,’ Trump charged. ‘I think its a very bad thing for NATO’
President Trump has berated America’s European allies for failing to meet their defense spending obligations to NATO
The complaints come full circle this week at the NATO leaders’ summit
On Tuesday, European Council President Donald Tusk hit back at Trump, telling him, ‘America does not have and will not have a better ally than Europe’
Tusk said: ‘America appreciate your allies. After all you don’t have that many’
President Trump tweeted minutes later: NATO countries must pay MORE, the United States must pay LESS. Very Unfair!’
He told reporters as he prepared to board Marine One that America has plenty of allies and put new pressure on NATO nations to increase their defense spending
By FRANCESCA CHAMBERS
DAILYMAIL.COM
11 July 2018
Donald Trump unleashed his fury on NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday for defending Germany’s energy partnership with Russia and threatened Berlin with U.S. action over the deal that he said is wholly inappropriate.
Trump fumed that ‘Germany is a captive of Russia’ and said the U.S. would ‘have to do something’ in light of the pipeline deal that’s funneling billions into Moscow’s economy.
‘Germany is totally controlled by Russia,’ he charged. ‘I think its a very bad thing for NATO,’ Trump said.
Stoltenberg reminded that the U.S. and Europe are ‘stronger together than apart’ and that has been proven by two World Wars and the alliance’s dealings with Russia. Trump told him in response, ‘No, you’re just making Russia richer. You’re not dealing with Russia, you’re making Russia richer.’
The confrontation stunned the leaders’ senior advisers, including Trump’s secretaries of defense and state. A press aide demanded the media leave the room as Trump pushed Stoltenberg to explain how the U.S. is supposed to protect Germany when it’s opening its front door to Vladimir Putin.
The White House subsequently said that Trump would hold private talks in the afternoon on the sidelines of the NATO summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Stoltenberg inadvertently whipped up the U.S. president at an internationally broadcast breakfast by asking him about his upcoming meeting with Putin. Trump responded with another tirade on Germany and its weaknesses while griping again about lagging contributions from member nations to the NATO alliance.
Trump gave Stoltenberg an earful with media present, telling the visibly startled NATO chief, ‘We’re protecting Germany. We’re protecting France. We’re protecting everybody, and yet, we’re paying a lot of money to protect.’
Trump said that past presidents did not confront America’s allies because they did not want to meddle in their affairs or they were blind to the problem.
‘I think that these countries have to step it up — not over a 10-year-period — they have to step it up immediately,’ Trump demanded. ‘Germany is a rich country. They talk about they’re gonna increase it a tiny bit by 2030. Well, they could increase it immediately tomorrow and have no problem.’
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