President Trump accused Germany Wednesday of being “captive” to Russia because of a plan to expand a “massive” oil and gas pipeline to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany.
“It’s very sad when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia where we’re supposed to be guarding against Russia, and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia,” Trump said before meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the NATO summit in Brussels.
“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,” Trump said.
“We’re protecting Germany, we’re protecting France, we’re protecting all of these countries. And then numerous of the countries go out and make a pipeline deal with Russia where they’re paying billions of dollars into the coffers of Russia … I think that’s very inappropriate,” he added.
Trump is referring to Russia’s plan to expand the controversial Nord Stream gas pipeline to Europe, and Germany’s strict renewable energy goals that have prompted the country to close coal and nuclear plants.
The U.S. opposes the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project that would transport natural gas from Russia to Germany, arguing it would threaten stability in the region.
Russia is a top supplier of natural gas to Europe, which the Trump administration is seeking to change by encouraging the export of U.S. natural gas to the continent now that America the top producer of that fuel.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel backs the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to import more gas, despite criticism from other EU governments. Oil and gas imports from Russia make up about 20 percent of Germany’s energy use.
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen responded to Trump’s Nord Stream 2 criticism in a BBC interview at the NATO summit in Brussels:
“We can cope with it,” she said. “We’ve heard him before and seen the tweets. We have an independent energy supply, we are an independent country, we are just diversifying.”
