Trump Slams Allies in favor of Putin (again)...

[GMDino]

Meanwhile...in Europe.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/07/11/trump-nato-germany-totally-controlled-and-captive-russia-defense-spending/774308002/

Quote:Trump blasts US ally Germany as 'captive to Russia' in tense opening of NATO summit


BRUSSELS – President Donald Trump unleashed his most remarkable broadside yet against a European ally on Wednesday, accusing Germany of being "totally controlled by Russia" and of not meeting its obligations to the NATO alliance.
"Germany, as far I’m concerned, is captive to Russia," Trump said.


Trump's extraordinary rhetoric signaled that he would continue his get-tough attitude toward the United States' closest allies  – even as he himself prepares to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week in an effort to improve U.S.-Russian relations.


The source of Trump's ire: German support for a pipeline that would bring Russian natural gas through the Baltic Sea to central Europe, all while Germany spends just 1.24 percent toward the collective defense of NATO allies. 


"So we're supposed to protect Germany, but they're getting their energy from Russia.  Explain that.  And it can't be explained," he said.  


The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is a commercial venture, but the German government has given its approval to the project. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking to reporters later, did not mention Trump by name but suggested that she would not be lectured about Russian control of Germany, having grown up in the Soviet-dominated East Germany.


“I have experienced myself how a part of Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union," she said.


Merkel also emphasized the German role in fighting alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan and its commitment to the collective defense.


More: As he arrives at NATO summit, President Trump hounds allies over 'delinquent' defense spending


Trump's verbal attack on Germany came in his first official event in Brussels Wednesday, setting a combative tone for the two-day summit of the alliance in Brussels. The harsh rhetoric suggested that Trump had no intention of patching up relationships bruised by a contentious Group of Seven summit in Canada last month.

Indeed, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump would repeat his complaint to Merkel when the two meet face-to-face later Wednesday. That meeting will be behind closed doors.


Trump has linked defense and trade issues throughout his presidency, using national security powers to impose tariffs against close allies like Canada and trade deficits as an argument for cutting U.S. defense aid to Europe.


His criticism of German ties to Russia comes five days before he'll meet one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki for their first stand-alone summit since Trump became president.


Trump arrived in Belgium Tuesday night, beginning a seven-day European tour that will also include visits to England and Scotland.


At NATO, Trump pressed his recurring complaint that European allies aren't paying enough toward the common defense of the alliance. A new NATO analysis released Tuesday shows only five of the 29 allies – the United States, the United Kingdom, Greece, Estonia and Latvia – currently meet the benchmark of 2 percent of economic output spent non defense.


"Just look at the chart," Trump said. "Many countries are not paying what they should.  And, frankly, many countries owe us a tremendous amount of money for many years back, where they're delinquent, as far as I'm concerned, because the United 
States has had to pay for them."


That complaint is a misrepresentation of the 2014 agreement reached at a summit in Wales. While each country agreed to strive for the 2 percent mark within 10 years, that spending is supposed to be on their own defense and is not paid to the United States or NATO directly. There was no provision made for making up deficiencies in past years.


Trump's comments came in a breakfast meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who later noted that overall defense spending by the alliance has increased since Trump started to make it an issue.ign Me Up


"He has a clear message, I think, that has increased interest and understanding of defense spending, and what we’ve seen is that defense spending has started to increase," Stoltenberg said. "So that's what I have to say about that."

So the "business man" who has hundreds of lawsuits against him due to his shady practices and lack of payment is stomping his feet over NATO without even a basic understanding of how the agreement works?
He is indeed "limited" in his abilities.