Trump – Germans are ‘captives’

President claims oil and gas means Germany controlled by Russia

Donald Trump has launched a blistering attack on Germany, calling it a “captive” of Russia, as he ramped up demands that Nato should pay more for its defence.

Arriving in Brussels for a two-day summit, the US President said it was “totally inappropriate” that Germany was paying billions of dollars to Russia for oil and gas while spending little more than 1% of its GDP on defence.

He said the deal to build a new pipeline meant Germany was “totally controlled” by Moscow.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hit back, saying that having lived in Sovietcontrolled East Germany, she was glad they could now “determine our own policies and make our own decisions”.

The exchanges set the stage for another potentially stormy summit after June’s G7 meeting in Quebec ended in angry recriminations, leading some to question US support for the post war international order.

Theresa May, who will host Mr Trump on his first visit to the UK as president, stressed Britain’s “steadfast” commitment to the alliance, announcing the deployment of 440 more troops to the Nato mission in Afghanistan.

The president launched his tirade against Germany at a meeting yesterday before the main summit, with Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg.

“We are supposed to be guarding against Russia and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia,” he said.

“We are protecting Germany, we are protecting France, we are protecting all of these countries, and then numerous of the countries go out and make a pipeline deal with Russia where they are paying billions of dollars into the coffers of Russia. I think that is very inappropriate.

“It should never have been allowed to happen. Germany is totally controlled by Russia because they will be getting 60% to 70% of their energy from Russia and a new pipeline.”

Mr Stoltenberg said other Nato members had committed to pay more, while acknowledging the need to go further.

“I think that two world wars and the Cold War taught us that we are stronger together than apart,” he said.

But the president pressed on, demanding the Germans increase their military spending “immediately” and adding: “Germany is a captive of Russia. They got rid of their coal plants, they got rid of their nuclear – they are getting so much of the oil and gas from Russia.”

Mr Trump’s comments appeared to refer to the Nord Stream 2 undersea pipeline that will bring gas from Russia to Germany’s Baltic coast and double the amount of gas Russia can send.

Mrs Merkel said: “I’ve experienced myself apart of Germany controlled by the Soviet Union and I’m very happy today that we are united in freedom as the Federal Republic of Germany and can thus say that we can determine our own policies and make our own decisions.”

They are paying billions of dollars into the coffers of Russia.

DONALD TRUMP