Donald Trump surprised the NATO summit in numbers

Breakfast Donald Trump and Jens Stoltenberg. Photo of the White House

US President Donald Trump quite expectedly became the main character in the two -day NATO summit on Wednesday in Brussels. As expected, he used the event in order to put pressure on NATO allies and once again remind them that they pay too little to the joint budget of the alliance. The form, chosen by the head of the United States, was the surprise: already at its first appearance in public, Trump accused Germany of excessive purchases of Russiansky gas, which turned it into a “hostage” of Russia and which weaken the alliance. Thus, the US president associated the problem of NATO underfinance with the North Stream-2 gas pipeline, against which the United States unleashed a massive offensive in recent months. Even more observers were surprised by the numbers given by Trump to confirm their words.

Details

• “It is very sad that Germany concludes large contracts with Russia on the supply of oil and gas while we should defend ourselves from Russia. And Germany goes and pays billions and billions of dollars a year of Russia, ”the US President said during a working breakfast with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg before the summit of the North Atlantic Alliance. According to the American president, getting rid of his coal and nuclear power plants, Berlin was dependent on Moscow. According to Trump's estimates, now Germany will receive from Russia “up to 60-70% of energy”. “Germany is the hostage of Russia,” Trump said and called on NATO to pay attention to this. Trump also drew attention to the fact that Germany transfers to the NATO budget “only a little more than 1%” while the United States transfer 4.2% in “natural terms”.

• Responding to Trump, Stoltenberg made it clear that gas transactions are beyond the competence of the alliance. Later, the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, also answered criticism of Trump. She stated that Germany was conducting an “independent policy” and making “independent decisions”. “On this special occasion, I would like to add that I myself lived at a time when part of Germany was under Soviet control. I am very happy that we live in the United and Free Federal Republic of Germany and therefore we can make independent decisions, ”she said. The Chancellor also recalled that Germany’s troops are the second largest in NATO contingent after the US Armed Forces, and thousands of German soldiers were aimed at the aid of the United States in Afghanistan.

• Commenting on Trump's statements, the media drew attention to the fact that the numbers used by Trump diverge greatly with real statistics. According to the EU, Russia accounts for 50-75% of gas imports to Germany, however, the share of gas in the country's electricity market is less than 20% . The statements of Trump for the expenses of Germany and the USA at NATO and the statements of Trump and the US statement. As follows from the latest NATO data , Germany transfers 1.24% of its GDP to the organization’s budget, and the United States - 3.5%. That is, even the United States spent on the alliance less than 4% of GDP, to which Trump called on Wednesday to increase expenses .

Context

• “North Stream-2” is a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, which should be laid along the bottom of the Baltic Sea near the first “northern stream”. The permission for its construction has already been given Germany, Finland and Sweden (almost 90% of the route), it remains to be approved from Denmark.
• During a personal meeting in April, US President Donald Trump demanded from German Chancellor Angels Merkel to abandon the support of the gas pipeline project, promising in return to start new negotiations on the “trading war” (since June the United States introduced duties on European steel and aluminum). In early June, it became known that the Trump administration among all ways to block Nord Stream-2 was most inclined to impose sanctions against European companies related to the gas pipeline (primarily from Germany). However, later the United States provided Germany with preliminary guarantees that the sanctions introduced against Russia would not affect the company related to laying Russian gas pipelines (North Stream-2-one of them).
• As the reasons for counteracting construction on the part of the United States, experts called WSJ two key - the US desire to change Russia as a gas supplier to European countries, increasing the supply of liquefied natural gas to Europe, as well as a decrease in the role of Ukraine as a transitor of Russian gas.

In Russia, Trump's statements are interesting, first of all, in the context of his first meeting with Vladimir Putin, which should take place this week. But so far nothing that could have had a fundamental influence on her, the American leader has said.

Liana Faizova, Vladimir Motorin