Merkel strikes back

BRUSSELS — At a breakfast with

NATO Secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg before the summit, President Donald

Trump redirected a question about his looming meeting with Russia President Vladimir Putin by suggesting that a natural gas pipeline project has made Germany subservient to Russia. He apparently was referring to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would dramatically increase the amount of gas Russia is able to export directly to Germany.

“Germany is totally controlled by Russia,” Trump said. “You tell me if that’s appropriate, because I think it’s not.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivered a public retort upon arriving at the summit. The chancellor, who grew up during the Cold War years in the former East Germany, under the Soviet Union’s control, archly stated that she didn’t need to be lectured about dealing with authoritarian regimes.