Posted on 04/03/2019 8:26:45 PM PDT by NorseViking
Washington (AFP) - US Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday strongly criticized Germany at NATO's 70th anniversary gathering, saying the ally's level of defense spending and work with Russia on a gas pipeline were "simply unacceptable."
"Germany must do more. And we cannot ensure the defense of the West if our allies grow dependent on Russia," Pence told a forum as part of two days of alliance events in Washington.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Merkel’s an East German Marxist.
“biography focusing on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s time growing up in East Germany is making headlines because it suggests she was closer to the communist system than hitherto known. Her spokesman has denied she has covered anything up.”
How about we leave NATO?
NATO can do very well without Germany. They have become a bunch of wimps anyways.
Yes, she is. And she is one of few in Germany who are actually with Pence on NATO and energy issues.
The majority who are not Marxists are growing tired with NATO and more so with LNG racket.
The comments on Yahoo are off the chain.
Merkel and others in their governance believe they have the leverage to influence all of Europe. And all of Europe knows who holds the money bags when push comes to shove.
Read she was an East German commies decades ago. Still working to bring W Germany down with the muzzie invasion.
Better Russia than more muslims, not much of a choice
“NATO can do very well without Germany. They have become a bunch of wimps anyways.”
Keep a couple of airfields, some hospitals and support in European countries closest to the Middle East and then reassign everything else to our southern border.
Russia is blocking a pipeline though Syria. That’s why the Russians are in Syria.
And give Germany, france and other buthurt types the middle finger.
Merkel flipped the bird at POTUS and all Pence does is run his mouth here. I’d say the Mueller Coup has been quite effective in limiting POTUS on the policy front.
Yes, she is. And she is one of few in Germany who are actually with Pence on NATO and energy issues.
The majority who are not Marxists are growing tired with NATO and more so with LNG racket.
Sorry, that’s crazy talk. Merkel rammed through Nordstream2 over the loud objections of half of Europe and POTUS. Btw, how is Minsk goin? Been almost 5 years now. That’s some fine German “leadership” there, too.
What’s wrong with Minsk? Insurgency is not moving any further.
As for Nordstream II Merkel can’t outright ban it because it is countrary to both national and European economic interests. Abundant cheap energy is good for business. It is an essential instrument of economic growth for both Germany and Russia meaning extra percents of GDP annually. She would be hanged to dry by big business and the public would enthusiastically back it.
It worth mentioning that she is still trying. Now she is backing Pence in forcing German business to pay for LNG infrastructure which is a money loser in Poland and Baltic states and upon failure she would make German taxpayers pay for it.
I don’t know which half of Europe is against Nordstream II. Maybe you mean a cleptocratic part of Europe and parts of Europe which has no viable economies but looking at Pence in hope of handouts instead?
Of course Ukraine doesn’t want it but the rest of Europe shouldn’t sacrifice its economy over it.
To bring things into perspective Gazprom of Russia which is the leading energy producer and was nearly the most expensive company in the world before all of this started employs around 200 thousand people who are actually involved in production and transport of oil and gas and about the same number in related companies.
Naftogas of Ukraine which doesn’t have a one percent of Gazprom operations and the main function to transport Gazprom gas to Europe through an existing pipeline employs 190 thousand people paid heavily above national average and another four million people in parasite companies. The government officials has their hands into it as well.
With all that manpower and little functions Naftogas really sucks at gas transit as evident by the decades of failure. It also manages to work with annual billions dollars in losses. They manage to inflict tens of billion losses for Europe and Russia in process.
Russia is not Ukraine’s ally nor Germany is. Let Ukraine’s allies starting with Biden family pay its bills.
Is it conservative for Pence to force business-minded part of Europe to support this socialist endeavor because ‘half of Europe’ want to continue this way?
Once again I am not against LNG but I guess something is wrong with it if it takes Pence to force nations into it. All things considered the more supply the better and Nordstream is a part of it.
Another important note. Ever since ‘bad pipes, good LNG’ mantras appeared Russia has started to develop it and despite the late start by now has twice the capacity of US companies.
When all the LNG infrastructure would be built at taxpayers’ expense would they declare Russian tankers delivering gas to it ‘energy weapon’ along the pipelines too?
Tell me who are socialists and who are for a free enterprise in this story.
Russian tanks aren’t going to Europe as long as free market works.
And you can’t overlook another important aspect of it.
When Pence is pushing so aggressively to empoverish producing nations with alleged goal to enrich freeloading nations what should people of these producing nations think about it?
It might be ok not to care about what Russians think because they are little now but what about Germany? I don’t think it is smart to expend US influence this way. It may result in seismic change over time.
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