President Trump kicked-off his high-stakes NATO negotiations with a sharp critique of Germany’s relationship with Russia Wednesday, saying Angela Merkel was “a captive” of the Kremlin over a controversial energy pipeline.
The Commander-in-Chief called-out the Chancellor at the onset of the international summit in Brussels; saying “It’s very sad when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia where we’re supposed to be guarding against Russia.”
“Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia,” said Trump. “If you look at it, Germany is a captive of Russia, because they supply — they got rid of their coal plants, got rid of their nuclear, they’re getting so much of the oil and gas from Russia. I think it’s something NATO has to look at.”
“Many countries owe us,” added the President. “The United States is paying far too much and other countries are not paying enough… This has been going on for decades, for decades, it’s disproportionate and not fair to the taxpayers of the United States.”
Read the full story at Bloomberg.
MERKEL CAVES: Germany Says It's Open to EASING TARIFFS on US CARS
German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced this week that her government would be open to reducing tariffs on American-made automobiles; hoping to ease tensions between the European Union and the United States over car imports.
According to Reuters, Merkel signaled Germany’s willingness to slash taxes on US manufactured automobiles rather than see new tariffs placed on German cars entering the United States; primarily Mercedez Benz, Volkswagen, and BMW.
“I would be ready to support negotiations on reducing tariffs, but we would not be able to do this only with the U.S.,” she said, adding that all deals will be “common European position and we are still working on it.”
President Trump slammed the EU’s tariffs on US exports in recent weeks, saying “We are finishing our study of Tariffs on cars from the E.U. in that they have long taken advantage of the U.S. in the form of Trade Barriers and Tariffs. In the end it will all even out – and it won’t take very long!”
….We are finishing our study of Tariffs on cars from the E.U. in that they have long taken advantage of the U.S. in the form of Trade Barriers and Tariffs. In the end it will all even out – and it won’t take very long!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2018
MERKEL’S MESS: German Chancellor Has 2 WEEK DEADLINE to Address Migrant Crisis
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has a two-week window to solve her nation’s escalating migrant crisis or her coalition government could be “destroyed,” reports CBS News.
The uproar is centered around Merkel’s fractured alliance, with some members of her governing coalition demanding a harsh crackdown on the flow of migrants entering Germany and pouring into other EU member states.
The German government is on the verge of collapsing over Europe's immigration debate. Angela Merkel has 2 weeks to come up with a plan addressing the migrant crisis or her coalition government could be destroyed. What you need to know: https://t.co/KkvkjadnQN (@gzeromedia) pic.twitter.com/hObhTM5XAG
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 19, 2018
“The German government is on the verge of collapsing over Europe’s immigration debate. Angela Merkel has 2 weeks to come up with a plan addressing the migrant crisis or her coalition government could be destroyed,” writes CBS News.
To date, at least one million migrants have entered Germany from Syria, Libya, and other nations since she announced her “open door” policy in 2015.