Trump opens NATO summit with blistering criticism of Germany

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Trump opens NATO summit with blistering criticism of Germany
https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/10/politics/donald-trump-nato-summit-2018/index.html

President Donald Trump came out brawling in his first public comments here ahead of NATO's annual summit, accusing a close US ally of being "a captive of Russia" and all-but ordering members of the alliance to increase their defense spending "immediately."

Trump's provocative comments -- aimed at Germany -- at the outset of the NATO summit are sure to amplify the sense of unease among the United States' closest European allies. Their concerns had already set in ahead of Trump's arrival on the continent, following weeks during which the US President has increasingly and vociferously aired out his grievances against many of them.

Trump is set to meet with both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, according to press secretary Sarah Sanders.
The US President signaled that he would take that approach in Brussels as he departed the White House and via mid-air tweets aboard Air Force One, but the US President's direct criticism of a close NATO ally -- Germany -- and his ongoing airing of grievances on European soil took his criticisms up a notch.

The blistering comments are setting up another jarring contrast as Trump is set to cap off meetings in Belgium and the United Kingdom by holding a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has largely been spared of Trump's diatribes.

"I have NATO, I have the UK, which is in somewhat turmoil, and I have Putin. Frankly, Putin may be the easiest of them all. Who would think? Who would think?" Trump said on Tuesday as he left the White House.

(more at above url)
 
Trump, NATO head Stoltenberg have testy exchange at summit
By Edmund DeMarche | Fox News
Video
President Trump readies for a potentially rocky NATO summit

At issue, the disparity in defense spending; Kevin Corke reports from Brussels, Belgium.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday had a testy exchange with the head of NATO when he asked about energy agreements between Russia and several European countries.

Trump repeatedly pressed Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's secretary general, on why the U.S. continued to pay money to the military alliance while countries continue to purchase energy from Moscow.

“We are stronger together,” Stoltenberg insisted, but acknowledged that there can be differences among allies.

Still, Trump persisted.

“But how can you be together when you’re getting energy from the group you want protection from?” the president asked.

Trump used Germany as an example. He asked Stoltenberg to explain why Berlin was getting energy from Moscow, and asserted that Germany was "totally controlled" by and "captive to Russia" over a pipeline project.

The president appeared to be referring to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would double the amount of gas Russia can send directly to Germany, skirting transit countries such as Ukraine. The project is opposed by the U.S. and some European Union members.

Trump said of Germany: "We're supposed to protect you against Russia and yet you make this deal with Russia."

“Explain that,” Trump said. “It can’t be explained."

The sharp exchange occured hours before Trump arrived at NATO headquarters for additional meetings.

The U.S. role in NATO has been a focal point for Trump since before he was elected president. He tweeted Monday that the situation was “not fair, nor is it acceptable.” He said NATO benefits Europe “far more than it does the U.S.”

Trump has called upon NATO allies to meet commitments to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense.

He tweeted en route from Washington that European countries "want us to happily defend them through NATO, and nicely pay for it. Just doesn't work!"

Brussels is the first stop of Trump's week-long European tour that will include a visit to Britain and a meeting in Finland with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Fox News' Kristin Brown and the Associated Press contributed to this report
 
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One thing I don't understand, and I wish the leftist's TDS sufferers here would explain, is why Trump is talking down Russian interests? I thought they were on cahoots together in some evil plan to bring down the world order...

Something with this story is not right.
 
US makes a profit from NATO in arms sales I'd be confident.

The distribution of spending in 2016 seemed reasonable. France and Germany together are well in excess of the US.

nato-spend2.jpg
 
Slartibartfast said:
US makes a profit from NATO in arms sales I'd be confident.

The distribution of spending in 2016 seemed reasonable. France and Germany together are well in excess of the US.

nato-spend2.jpg
More...

There's probably a rule there somewhere to only buy from allies.... I hope they go with the French, Belgian and Austrian out of spite.
 
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JULY 11, 2018
Wrecking NATO
By Shoshana Bryen
The Washington Post headline blared, "Trump is bent on wrecking NATO. Prepare for catastrophe." The Post fears that President Trump's diplomacy will benefit Vladimir Putin to the detriment of American and European interests. European Council president Donald Tusk sniped, "Dear America, appreciate your allies. After all, you don't have that many."

The NATO countries are, indeed, among America's closest allies, but some of them appear more interested in oil, natural gas, and trade with Iran than in the Fulda Gap. Some of our "closest allies" have been working overtime to undermine America. If Mr. Trump is irritated with them, there is a reason.

Iran is preparing to take $300 million in cash out of German banks to get ahead of impending U.S. banking sanctions. While American intelligence officials are concerned that the money will finance terrorism, the German government says it has "no evidence" to that effect. According to the German newspaper Bild, "Iran ... says that they need the money 'to pass it on to Iranian individuals who, when travelling abroad, are dependent on euros in cash due to their lack of access to accepted credit cards.'" The German government appears to think that one million Iranian tourists might need $300 each – or perhaps 300 tourists might need $1 million each.

The plan to send dollars to Tehran is in line with European negotiations, led by Germany and France, to help Iran mitigate the economic fallout of the American withdrawal from the JCPOA – the Iran deal. The E.U. has also begun to update its "blocking statute," the rule that will prevent European companies from complying with impending Iran sanctions.

Germany is willing to run a multi-billion-eurotrade deficit with Iran to keep the doors open, even as a 2018 German intelligence report confirms that Iran is currently seeking nuclear technology in there.

It is unclear why America's "closest allies" want to help the regime that sponsors Hamas and Hezb'allah, created a mercenary army of tens of thousands of Shiites to uproot the mostly Sunni population of Syria, sentences a women who doffed her head scarf to 20 years in prison (she will serve at least two years, likely more), bans homosexuality and hangs gay people from cranes in public – and is, in fact, behind only China in the number of executions it conducts annually – and imprisons foreign nationals. And that's before mentioning that Iran cheated on the JCPOA by hiding the military nature of its program and violated U.N. Security Council resolutions on ballistic missile development and the import and export of weapons.

As a practical matter, it may be irrelevant. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani went back to Iran in a snit because, he said, "The package from Europe does not meet all our demands." Iran makes "demands" on America's "closest allies," and the allies consider them?

Since NATO was designed to defend Europe from Russia, perhaps our interests are more closely aligned on the subject of an increasingly bellicose and aggressive Vladimir Putin.

Earlier this year, The Washington Post ran a story in which Germany's parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces "reached the conclusion that the German military is virtually 'not deployable for collective defense.'" The commissioner "also indicated in an interview that Germany was unprepared for the possibility of a larger conflict even though smaller operations abroad may still be possible."

Then perhaps Germany is preparing to spend the NATO-required 2 percent of GDP on defense to make it up. No, it is not. Germany's defense minister, on a visit to the Pentagon earlier this year, said Germany may get to 1.5 percent of GDP in2026.

In the meantime, The Post reported that Germany has not one operational submarine, only half of its Leopard 2 tanks were operational in November 2017, and so many helicopters require repair that Bundeswehr pilots were using private helicopters for practice.

While Germany declines to spend 2 percent on defense, it appears to have enough money to build another natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany and beyond – this will be the third. Germany already imports about half of its oil and natural gas from Russia; the new pipeline will increase that to 60% and beyond. The pipelines also serve France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, among our "closest allies."

Remember how upset our European allies were by Russian meddling in Ukraine and the conquest and annexation of Crimea? They tossed Russia from the G-7 and imposed sanctions on Russian oligarchs and companies – though not on Putin himself.

Then, when Russia tried abruptly to cancel its gas transit contracts with Ukraine and Poland, Ukraine won its case to retain the shipping rights – and the associated fees – in the international arbitration court in Sweden. So, of course, Germany, et al. sided with Ukraine, which needs the fees in part to continue to resist Russian-inspired aggression. Right? No. Germany sidedwith Russia against Ukraine – offering to "mediate" between the invader and the invaded.

How much political influence will Russia have in Germany and other European countries when the thermometer dips next winter? How will our "closest allies" respond to Russian pressure?

A flashback from 2012 might be instructive:

Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved, but it's important for him [Putin] to give me space.

Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you...

Obama: This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.

Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir.

Our European allies offered not a word of criticism. Now, six years later, who is actually "wrecking NATO"? Who is actually "colluding" with Russia? Who is actually weakening the Atlantic Alliance? Who is actually supporting Iran today – which threatens the United States (and Israel) directly and Europe by extension?

Hint: It is not Mr. Trump.
 
I’ve tried to explain this to you guys over and over. NATO is the cornerstone of western civilization, peace and prosperity. We, the USA, created it to keep peace in Europe.

The history of Franco German hostilities goes back to Louis XIV, through the Bismarck to Hitler and ending with our creation NATO. NATO morphed into the primary counterpoint of the USSR, today Russia with many bad actors.

Our deal has always been we, the USA, assure peace under our nuclear umbrella and positioning of our deadly weaponry. This peace we have assured has brought get about the longest era of growth and prosperity in the history of the world. Without it, the world is a chaotic place furtive for dictators and nationalism.

Trump’s ignorance is an incredible threat to democracy and western civilization itself.
 
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