German FM warns Trump against unilateral deals with Putin
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned US President Donald Trump against making any unilateral deals with Russia that come with a cost for the United States’ Western allies.
Trump, who meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland today, accused Germany of being a “captive” of Russia due to its energy reliance, before a NATO summit where he pressed allies to more than double defense spending, Reuters reported.
On Thursday, Trump described Putin as a “competitor” rather than an “enemy” and said he expected they would get on well when they hold their first summit in Helsinki. Trump also said the meeting with Putin may be the easiest on his European trip.
Maas welcomed the meeting, at which the US president has said he will raise the issue of nuclear weapons reduction.
“We have always said that we need dialogue with Russia. That’s why it’s good if Washington and Moscow talk to each other,” Maas told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “It would be a step forward if this meeting also provided impetus for nuclear disarmament.”
But Maas added: “He who offends his partners risks losing in the end. Unilateral deals at the expense of one’s own partners also harm the US in the end.”
Trump set expectations low in an interview with CBS’S Jeff Glor taped Saturday in Scotland — a day before he departs for Helsinki for the high-stakes summit, AP reported.
He said, “Nothing bad ... maybe some good” will come out of his meeting with Russia’s Putin.
Trump said in excerpts released by the network that he’s “not going with high expectations.”
Trump said he believes such meetings are beneficial, adding, “Having a meeting with Chairman Kim was a good thing.”
Trump also said he “hadn’t thought” about asking Putin to extradite the dozen Russians indicted this week on charges related to election meddling but said that “certainly” he’d “be asking about it.”