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 ...
lol
Per the first NATO Secretary General, Lord Hastings Ismay, the purpose of NATO was “to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.” At the time of Stalinist Soviet Communism, this was a good idea. None of these are particularly relevant today, and the reason the alliance is in disarray is that it no longer serves a useful purpose.
Not true. They are partially controlled by Iran.
All the more reason for leaving.
“U.K., Greece, Estonia and Poland”
It would be healthy for the US and the world if Trump would announce those 4 countries are the limit of the US defense umbrella.
And let the rest know they can be part of it if they hit their 2%.
I’ve been saying this for decades! It’s been obvious the Yurps were freeloading and playing us for suckers for a long time. Trump has the balls to call them on it - unlike every POTUS since 1991.
There are a number of reasons for that including Russia low balling the costs to make the deal more attractive. But price isn't the issue. It is increasing dependence on Russian oil and gas by Europe, especially Germany. Is cost the criterion or should there be other factors like national security be included when considering a strategic interest like energy?.
Germany Moves Forward With Controversial Nord Stream Two
Another reason Putin may be optimistic is Germany’s unswerving support for Nord Stream Two, the undersea Baltic pipeline that will supply Russian natural gas directly to Germany and other parts of Europe. Nord Stream Two will double the capacity of the previously built Nord Stream One pipeline from 55 to 110 billion cubic meters per year. German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has backed the Russian-led project, despite protests from the European Union and several EU member states. At the same time, Russia’s state-owned Gazprom is building a pipeline that will supply Europe from the south, as well. The goal is to prevent Europe from developing alternatives to Russian gas, which gives the Kremlin important political-economic leverage over the continent (see EDM, April 11).
On May 3, Germany became the first EU country to begin building its portion of Nord Stream Two—in its Baltic Sea port of Lubmin (Pipeline-journal.net, May 3). The construction started before Sweden and Finland signed off on the pipeline running through their waters. The Lubmin work was a poke in the eye to both the European Commission and European Parliament, both of which oppose the project (Europarl.europa.eu, April 11).
By pursuing the pipeline, Germany is also defying the United States and Ukraine. Washington has threatened sanctions against the Nord Stream Two project’s five European partners—Engie, OMV, Shell, Uniper and Wintershall. Moreover, US President Donald Trump called Berlin hypocritical for supporting a Russian revenue project while enjoying the benefits of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) protective umbrella against Moscow (Whitehouse.gov, April 3).
Russia embarked on Nord Stream to reduce its reliance on gas pipelines to Europe that run through Ukraine. If Russia is able to entirely shift its export volumes away from the Ukrainian pipeline network, Kyiv stands to lose billions of dollars per year in gas transit fees. On a trip to Berlin in early April, Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko again failed to persuade Merkel to pull out of the Nord Stream Two project (Kyiv Post, EurActiv, April 10). She has continued to try to soothe both Ukraine and those EU countries worried that Nord Stream Two will not only undermine Ukraine’s economic viability but also keep the European continent dependent on Russian gas. In a meeting with Slovakia’s Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, Merkel tried to square the circle by calling for “constructive and long-term solutions aiming to keep Ukraine a transit country for Russian gas” (TASS, May 2).
Meanwhile, Russia has chosen a general contractor for its segment of Nord Stream Two—Stroytransgaz, half-owned by President Vladimir Putin’s billionaire friend Gennady Timchenko (RBC, May 3). And Gazprom’s deputy CEO, Aleksandr Medvedev, has even said on Russian TV that he would not rule out a Nord Stream Three, if there is European demand (Vesti, April 24).
I will only say this.....God bless our fantastic, great POTUS, Donald J. Trump. Go POTUS, DJT. Go America, Go MAGA!!! DJT. the overwhelming numbers of the American people are with you...!00%!!
Along Europe’s southeastern flank, Gazprom has also completed the first segment of the Turk Stream pipeline, which will send Russian gas under the Black Sea to Turkey and on to southern Europe (Rian.com.ua, April 30). It completed the 900-kilometer segment in less than a year—a record pace for laying complicated deep-water pipeline infrastructure (Gazprom Official Website, Gazprom.com, April 30).
In contrast, it took almost three years to build the 1,345-kilometer Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP), which will deliver gas overland from Azerbaijan through Georgia (via the South Caucasus Pipeline) to Turkey and beyond to Europe (Natural Gas World, May 2). Work is set to begin June 19 on a pipeline connecting TANAP from the Turkish border to Southeastern Europe.
Germany’s continued support for Nord Stream Two and Washington’s failure to make good on its threats to sanction major Russian gas projects are key reasons why Gazprom continues to build pipelines to Europe. EU member states are not only divided on Nord Stream Two, but also on policies to decrease the continent’s dependence on Russian gas.
Germany wants to import more Russian gas as it phases out coal and nuclear power. And a combination of Russian gas and planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities will make Germany an important European gas hub (Oil Price, March 20). Germany’s support for Nord Stream Two is a double-edged sword for the rest of Europe, however. On the one hand, its plans to become a natural gas hub would boost the EU’s largest economy; and both Berlin and Moscow claim the pipeline will make Europe as a whole more energy-secure. On the other hand, these plans will clearly undermine the EU’s energy-supply diversification efforts by flooding European gas markets with Russian supplies.
The completion of Nord Stream Two, expected for 2019, would increase Moscow’s stranglehold on the continent’s energy supplies. It would also provide Russia with a useful tool to put greater pressure on Ukraine. Given the long-term threat that a number of European leaders say Nord Stream Two poses to the continent, Germany may someday have to choose between its own Russia-related economic and political ambitions and the continued viability of Europe’s political and energy unions.
Yes, the feckless Europeans finally hear from the American taxpayers.
So since you started off your response by calling me a BS artist. I want you to know I was just trying to have a discussion!
Historically Russia rationally and now irrationally have always viewed outsiders as a potential threat. “Germans/Latins” from the west, Chinese (other easterners Mongols, Japanese, etc.) from the east. It makes little sense now (except perhaps the Chinese & Moslems!) but its in their psyche. They have always had an inferiority complex toward the West & a abject fear of the East. During the communist days it was useful to magnify it to keep their people in line. Now it makes little sense but its there. By dividing NATO into an Atlantic alliance in which we are a member and a Central European-Baltic in which we are not - maybe with “interested observer” status. The “Western Threat (the USA, etc.)” is more diffuse. Its now indirect and can be argued by us & “the Atlantic Alliance” the Central-Baltic Alliance “ is not our front yard! We’re cordial neighbors!”.
Anyway it won’t happen The Central Alliance will have to be nuclear capable in order to be credible.
Why would Russia be threatened by NATO?
The course of history has shown NATO has no territorial ambitions towards Russia. They don't like NATO because it stops them from being the mafia like presence that they naturally assume when they can.
Russia should worry about its own dying alcoholic society and stop being whinny meddling bitches.
It’s a historical inferiority complex/fear of a strong West. NATO is just a today’s name. You can trace from the Grand Duchy of Muscovy to now.
On so many levels...this has to be one of the very best Trump Bombs ever.
There was once the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth!
How exactly are Germany and France “allies”? They have massive tariffs against our exported goods, which we lack. There is no USSR. No common enemy. And how is Britain an “ally” when their MI5 contributed to the Obama-Brennan-Comey-Rice-Power-Strzok anti-Trump conspiracy and fake “dossier”?
Amen!
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