l'OTAN.
Nato summit: Trump attacks ‘captive’ Merkel over Russia energy deal
Deborah Haynes, Defence Editor | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels
July 11 2018, 12:00pm,
The Times
The extraordinary tirade shattered the usual protocol of unity between the leaders of the 29 Nato allies at the opening of a showpiece biennial summit, which is taking place this year in Brussels in a new headquarters.
President Trump, speaking as he had a working breakfast with Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato chief, said it was “very inappropriate” that Washington bankrolled European defence against Russia while Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, signed up gas deals making it dependent on Russian gas.
“We’re supposed to be guarding against Russia and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia,” Mr Trump said to Mr Stoltenberg.
Germany is behind the building of a new, two-stage $11-billion pipeline to bring Russian gas across the Baltic Sea called Nord Stream, despite opposition from other EU states, in particular the Baltic countries and Poland. Mrs Merkel, however, insists the project is a purely private commercial venture and is not funded by German taxpayers.
“We’re protecting Germany, we’re protecting France, we’re protecting all of these countries. 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,” Mr Trump said.
“So we’re supposed to protect you against Russia and you pay billions of dollars to Russia and I think that’s very inappropriate,” he said, speaking alongside Jim Mattis, his defence secretary, and other officials at the residence of the US ambassador in Brussels.
“Germany will have almost 70 per cent of their country controlled by Russia with natural gas. You tell me, is that appropriate?” he asked, while Mr Stoltenberg listened.
Mr Trump, turning to a favourite complaint with the alliance, signalled that a pledge by Nato allies to work towards meeting a minimum target set by Nato to spend at least 2 per cent of GDP on defence was too little, too late.
He said the United States – one of only four states to meet the target last year along with Britain – bore an “unfair” share of the responsibility for collective trans-Atlantic defence.
“I think these countries have to step it up, not over a ten-year period, they have to step it up immediately,” Mr Trump said.
“Germany is a rich country, they talk about increasing it a tiny bit by 2030. Well they could increase it immediately, tomorrow, and have no problem,” Trump said.
“If you look at it, Germany is a captive of Russia. They got rid of their coal plants, they got rid of their nuclear, they’re getting so much of their oil and gas from Russia. I think it is something Nato has to look at. It is very inappropriate.”
The American leader’s comments are carefully designed to sow divisions in Nato between Germany and east European countries opposed to a pipeline that allows Russia to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine, creating shortages for them, to preserve Germany’s energy supplies.
“Trump is anything but stupid,” said an aide to a senior EU official. “He is serious and methodic in sowing divisions.”
Mr Trump is due to meet Mrs Merkel at the summit later in the day. He will also meet Theresa May who will subsequently host the US leader in the UK.
Mrs May is set to disappoint Mr Trump and fellow allies at the summit who had been expecting to hear the headline conclusions of a plan for the future of the armed forces that will require up to an extra £4 billion a year from the Treasury to fund fully.
She will instead simply confirm that Britain will almost double its contribution to the Nato-led training mission in Afghanistan, with 440 more troops due to head to the conflict zone.
“I think that shows when Nato calls the UK is one of the first to step up,” the prime minister said as she arrived at the sprawling glass headquarters.
Mrs May insisted that Britain’s commitment to Nato remains “as steadfast as ever”.
Mr Trump is also due to meet President Putin in Helsinki on Monday, an encounter that has triggered alarm in London and other Nato capitals because of concerns that he may attempt to strike a “dodgy peace deal” with his Russian counterpart.
Mr Stoltenberg put on a brave face as he addressed reporters at Nato’s headquarters as the heads of state or government arrive one by one during the course of the morning.
Mr Stoltenberg admitted that the gas issue was divisive: “There are different views on the Nord Stream pipeline. That’s well known. It’s not for Nato to decide. That’s a national decision.”
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NATO, the numbers:
http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2018/07/11/01003-20180711ARTFIG00052-budget-elargissement-operations-les-nombreux-defis-de-l-otan.php
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