Merkel: Europe can no longer completely rely on US and UK
We must fight for our own destiny, says defiant German chancellor
GERMAN chancellor Angela Merkel has warned Europe can no longer completely rely on its American and British allies, declaring that the continent’s destiny was in “our own hands”.
Her extraordinary comments followed meetings of European leaders with US president Donald Trump at Nato and the G7 last week.
Mrs Merkel, speaking at an election campaign event in a Bavarian beer tent in Munich, said it had served as a wake-up call.
She said: “The times in which we can fully count on others are somewhat over, as I have experienced in the past few days.
“And so, all I can say is that we Europeans must really take our destiny into our own hands.”
Referencing Brexit, she said: “Of course, we need to have friendly relations with the US, and with the UK, and with other neighbours, including Russia.”
But she added: “We have to fight for our own future ourselves, for our destiny as Europeans.”
Mrs Merkel wished French president Emmanuel Macron success, adding: “Where Germany can help, Germany will help, because Germany can only do well if Europe is doing well.”
It came as Mr Macron called his high-profile handshake with Mr Trump a “moment of truth”, and compared the US leader to Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Mr Macron and Mr Trump gripped hands so firmly when they met for the first time at the Nato summit in Brussels that their knuckles appeared to turn white and their jaws clenched.
The newly elected French president said: “My handshake with him – it wasn’t innocent. One must show that you won’t make small concessions, even symbolic ones.”
He told the ‘Journal du Dimanche’ newspaper: “Donald Trump, the Turkish president, or the Russian president see things in terms of power relationships, which doesn’t bother me.
“I don’t believe in diplomacy through public criticism, but in my bilateral dialogues, I don’t let anything pass. That is how you get respect.”
Mrs Merkel was disappointed by Mr Trump’s refusal at the G7 to recommit America to the Paris climate accord. After the summit, she called the climate talks “very difficult, if not to say very unsatisfactory”.
Withdraw
Mr Trump has vowed to make a decision on the Paris accord this week and has reportedly told confidants he is inclined to withdraw.
If so, it would be a blow to the legacy of his predecessor, Barack Obama, and to European allies.
At the Nato summit, Mr Trump told allies that they were not spending enough on defence. He also criticised Germany’s trade surplus and threatened to stop German exports of cars to the US.
However, Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, said he was optimistic after European leaders’ talks with Mr Trump.
He said: “What I am absolutely sure of after this meeting is that, despite some extraordinary expressions and behaviours, our partners in the G7 are much more responsible than the first impression after the election in the United States.”
Mr Trump had a different view of his foreign trip, saying he believed his team “hit a home run”, adding that it was a “great success for America. Hard work but big results”.
His Twitter account had been dormant while overseas, but he returned with a vengeance yesterday.
In a flurry of tweets, he said British Prime Minister Theresa May was “very angry” about leaks to the US media of sensitive information about the Manchester Arena bombing.
Mr Trump tweeted that Mrs May gave him “full details” during talks while he attended summits in Europe.
Mrs May said Mr Trump acknowledged the leaks were “unacceptable” when she challenged him about them.
Mr Trump said: “British Prime Minister May was very angry that the info the UK gave to US about Manchester was leaked. Gave me full details!”
Mrs May raised the issue with Mr Trump at the Nato summit in Brussels on Thursday after British police temporarily suspended sharing information with counterparts across the Atlantic after the US media was repeatedly briefed about sensitive evidence.
Mrs May said Scotland Yard had received assurances from the FBI and had resumed intelligence-sharing.
At a press conference at the G7 summit in Sicily on Friday, Mrs May said: “Yes, I did raise the issue of leaks of information that have been shared by the police with the FBI with President Trump. He has made clear that that was unacceptable.” (© Daily Telegraph, London)