Trump made up Germany debt

Washington, March 26: In what could further worsen already frosty American-German ties, Britain’s The Times newspaper has reported that US President Donald Trump used a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel to hand over what has been described as an “intimidating” £300bn bill her country owed Nato.

The expenses list was forwarded to furious German authorities last week when Merkel was in Washington, a guest of the Trump administration. The meeting made headlines after Trump was accused of refusing to shake hands with the German leader during a White House photocall.

The £300bn bill is a calculation authorised by Trump himself, it has been revealed. Nato member nations had in 2014 pledged to donate two per cent of their GDP towards world security. But the Trump administration tracked the expenses list all the way back to 2002, included the years in which German spending had according to them fallen under two per cent, and then added interest on that final number. Reports said nearly £50bn is in interest alone.

The final bill that was presented to Germany was authorised by Trump himself, The Times reported. “The concept behind putting out such demands is to intimidate the other side, but the chancellor took it calmly and will not respond to such provocations,” a senior German minister was quoted as saying.

The US President has been accusing fellow Nato countries of not coughing up enough money for military expenses.

— Agencies