Trump and Merkel are headed for a one-on-one showdown after Trump said Germany was Russia's puppet

Alex Lockie

  • President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel appear headed for a one-on-one confrontation on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels.

  • The two world leaders are expected to meet soon. Trump reportedly plans to bring up his contention that Russia controls Germany with its energy dominance.

  • Merkel has already fired back at Trump, saying that she lived in Germany under Soviet control and the government today is different and that Germany is a solid US and NATO ally.

  • But Merkel has a difficult political situation at home, and Germany has not yet met some of its NATO commitments.

President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel appear headed for a one-on-one confrontation on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels after Trump slammed Germany as being controlled by Russia.

Trump and Merkel are expected to have a "pull aside" meeting in which Trump will bring up his contention that Russia, through its supply of oil and gas to Germany, controls the country's politics, The New York Times' White House correspondent Julia Davis reported on Wednesday.

"Germany is totally controlled by Russia, because they will be getting from 60-70% of their energy from Russia and a new pipeline," Trump said at a working breakfast with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"You tell me if that's appropriate, because I think it's not, and I think it's a very bad thing for NATO, and I don't think it should have happened," Trump said. "And I think we have to talk to Germany about it."

A Reuters review of Germany's official data shows that 35.3% of German imports of oil and gas come from Russia, but the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline project is expected to increase such energy trade.

Trump went on to bash Germany's defense spending, which stands at 1.24% of its gross domestic product.

"I think it's very unfair to our country," Trump said of Germany's defense spending. "These countries have to step it up not over a 10-year period — have to step it up immediately. Germany is a rich country. They talk about [how] they're going to increase it a tiny bit by 2030. Well, they could increase it immediately."

Just hours after Trump's comments, Merkel fired back, saying she lived in East Germany under Soviet control, and that things are different now.

"I am very happy that today we are united in freedom, the Federal Republic of Germany. Because of that we can say that we can make our independent policies and make independent decisions. That is very good, especially for people in eastern Germany."

Merkel also defended Germany's role in NATO, and pointed out that German soldiers are still fighting for US interests in Afghanistan after the US invoked NATO's mutual defense clause following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

"Germany is the second-largest provider of troops, the largest part of our military capacity is offered to NATO and until today we have a strong engagement toward Afghanistan. In that we also defend the interests of the United States," she said.

Trump found Merkel's weak spot, and he's hammering it

Merkel faces serious difficulties in meeting her defense spending commitments to NATO. It's an unpopular policy domestically as she struggles to stay atop a shaky coalition government.

Additionally, Germany's military is in a poor state, and its own defense minister has criticized a lack of readiness and defense spending. In May, German news outlet Der Spiegel reported that only four of Germany's 128 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets were ready to fly combat missions.

While the US has moved to increase troop presence in Germany and Eastern Europe in light of a newly aggressive Russia, Merkel's government has sought to increase some energy purchases from Russia, the very force NATO seeks to defend against.

But as Mark D. Simakovsky, an Atlantic Council expert and former Europe/NATO chief of staff in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, told Business Insider, Trump is unpopular in Europe, and that could make upping defense spending even harder for Merkel.

NOW WATCH: Watch the moment Trump and Kim Jong Un share a historic handshake at Singapore summit

See Also:

SEE ALSO: Trump slams a weakened Germany as 'controlled by Russia' in blistering open to NATO summit

DON'T MISS: Merkel fires back at Trump after he says Germany is 'totally controlled by Russia'

Advertisement