Posted on 07/11/2018 1:44:10 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
“Germany is totally controlled by Russia … They will be getting between 60 and 70 percent of their energy from Russia and a new pipeline, and you tell me if that is appropriate because I think its not,” Trump said.
The U.S. president was speaking at a press conference in front of NATO representatives ahead of a two-day summit.
The Trump administration’s policies indicate it views security and trade as intimately linked. And when it comes to the trade balance, no ally will be spared.
Speaking in Brussels, Belgium on the first leg of his European trip, the U.S. president said a flurry of oil and gas deals had given Moscow far too much influence over the continent’s largest economy.
In particular, he singled out the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project as being especially "inappropriate."
“I think it is a very bad thing for NATO and I don’t think it should have happened and I think we have to talk to Germany about it. On top of that, Germany is just paying a little bit over 1 percent (on defense) … And I think that is inappropriate also,” he added. 'An attack on Germany and Russia'
Trump has long criticized Berlin and other NATO allies for “freeriding” on Washington’s defense capabilities. Currently only five of NATO’s 29 member states actually allocate the 2 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) to military spending that they are formally committed to as part of the alliance. Those five are the U.S., the U.K., Greece, Estonia and Poland.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
That was a great episode.
That ole lady was probably a friend of Stalin’s mother.
That history shows how Russia became the largest country in the world by “defensive” invasions. Somehow they have built a victim complex around it.
First, here is a more representative photo of the night of the vote:
Crowd in Crimea after vote to join Russia (2014)
Russian tri-color flags everywhere. A Google images search on Crimea vote crowd shows a sea of Russian flags.
Second, its really getting old on FR when people post photos of crowds with hammer-and-sickle symbols as evidence that "Communism is back" or some other BS. Lets look at the posted photo for some hints as to what is going on: 1) Elderly person...many elderly have nostalgia for USSR, 2) The calendar is a victory (WW2) celebration: it says "70th anniversary of the liberation of Sevastopol". 3) The old person is wearing a St. George ribbon, another WW2 victory symbol.
In Russia, the only time the hammer and sickle/Stalin photos come out (other than the retarded rallies of the hopeless KPRF party that everyone makes fun of) is when celebrating the WW2 victory. Russians won WW2 as the USSR, and they celebrate that victory and honor their veterans with the banner under which they fought and sacrificed. Full stop. There is no sinister meaning here.
I've been living in Russia for over a year now. There is no Communist presence or agenda here. Communist is a vestige of the past, and NO ONE, aside from a few radicals, looks to it for the future.
Andrew Surabian @Surabees
Weird how Democrats and the media have no problem telling American citizens that they need to "pay their fair share" when it comes to paying higher taxes, but when @realDonaldTrump says that other countries should pay their fair share to NATO, they scream bloody murder.
PDJT has the endearing habit of speaking about the white elephant in the room, unlike socialists and liberal fascists.
At first I supported him, then I tolerated him, then I praised him, and now I love him. PDJT has joined the heroic ranks of Americas best, the magnificent ba$tard category. He reminds of Chesty Puller. May God protect and assist this man.
His NATO effort has the taste of: “ We are surrounded by the enemy. and we have them right where we want them!”
Tony Abbott agrees with Trump
>>The Ukraine is a region not a nation. It isn’t like in “Risk.”
Are you serious?
If so, you need to catch up on current events. And by “current”, I mean more than 25 years ago.
OH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why didn’t someone just say that :)
I always misunderstood it when reading about it.
So we are basically paying for the protection of western Europe.
This allows them to ‘afford’ their social programs.
Hot asphalt is like butter to a 62 ton Abrams tank.......
Worked for the Romans, according to them all their wars were to protect/pacify their frontiers.
Germany’s Fake Military - No Guns Tanks Helicopters Transports Subs
https://youtu.be/Syzpg93053I
Merkel was unable to comment because she was busy goosestepping around her office in a The Fuhrer Is Female shirt.
It’s not about giving less U.S money to support NATO. Trump is putting pressure on the EU “allies” (I use the term loosely) to justify why America should continue to bear the lion’s share of the cost. We provide almost 70% of the NATO budget every year. Meanwhile, Germany contributes less than the statutory 2% of GDP required, even though it has run a surplus every year since 1951!
Do we need to remain in NATO? Maybe, but the reasons are becoming less compelling than during the pre-Cold War years. Meanwhile, we have younger, republic-minded allies like Poland and Hungary that remember all too well what is was like to live undef Russian occupation.
What Trump is attempting is to salvage to old EU from itself. If he can’t, it will be time to refocus our European partnerships away from the Western Continent and forge new alliances. Not unlike what he is doing in the Middle East by bringing Egypt, the Saudis and Israel together to oppose Iran’s regional hegemony. Hard to believe that a bombastic billionaire from Queens with no prior political experience could exert such influence, yet here we are
If so, you need to catch up on current events. And by “current”, I mean more than 25 years ago.
And it is precisely because of statements like the one above, that we still need NATO and why the former Soviet bloc countries like Poland and the Baltics are the organization's staunchest supporters.
Those are real countries not one created by Soviet policy as the Ukrainian state was.
As long as NATO benefits America, we will stay in it and run it as we have done for 50 yrs. Trump is pointing out that we will no longer subsidize European welfare systems partially created with diverted defense expenditures.
Serious consideration should be given to transferring certain US military assets to Poland.
Totally serious, it was never an independent country until the USSR created a state.
Russia conquered the Crimea in 1783 and it became part of the Russian Empire rather than the Ottoman Sultanate. The Crimea was seceded to the Ukraine in the early 50s by the Soviets.
The Russians fought a war over the Crimean 150+ years ago defending Christians against Moslem oppression. Russia had to fight France and UK in the subsequent war. Sound familiar?
The Ukraine was fought over for centuries being incorporated into various empires and has had a civil war ongoing between the various ethnic groups varying in intensity for centuries.
The peoples in the area have been known by lots of different names: Scythians, Tatars, Huns, Cossacks. It has had German, Polish, and Russian settlers through the centuries.
This is not the kind of fight we should be involved in (it is more complex than Syria) and falls within the sphere of influence of the Russian Federation. That won’t change.
I don’t recall an invasion of Europe by the Russians but many of Russia by Europeans.
The Russian state was created through the invasions of the Huns, Tartars, The Golden Hoard, even the Swedes. You don’t think this history might lead to paranoia on Russians’ part?
American Expeditionary Force, Siberia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Expeditionary_Force,_Siberia
Another Woodrow Wilson F-Up.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.