a minute agoThe US threatens Germany: We attract troops
Periskopi(7 years ago)
(7 years ago)US President Donald Trump's envoy to Germany said on Friday that Chancellor Angela Merkel's unwillingness to raise defence expenses may leave no solution to the United States except to move American troops stationed in Germany, towards Poland. Richard Green, U.S. ambassador [...]
The comments of Richard Greenell, the American ambassador to Germany, are a signal about Mr. Trump's impatience because of Mrs. Merkel's failure to increase defence spending to 2 percent of the Bruto domestic production as determined by NATO.
“It is insulting to assume that American taxpayers will continue to pay more than 50,000 Americans in Germany, while Germans spend that part owed to the alliance for domestic programmes“, Mr. Green told German news agency dpa.
Germany's fiscal plans, second-largest member of NATO, envisions increased defence budget to 1.37 per cent of GDP next year before they suffer a 1.24 per cent drop in 2023.
Eastern European countries, such as Poland and Latvia, who fear Russia after annexing the Crimea in 2014, have increased their military expenses to the level of goal set by the alliance, 2 percent, which has been praised by Mr. Trump, which requires Germany to do the same.
The United States has complained about Germany's budget before the Trump administration, but relations between the two countries have deteriorated since it became president.
The two allies are at odds over a range of issues such as Iran, trade tariffs, as well as the NordStreem 2 gas transmission line from Russia to Germany.
Trump said in June it would remove 1,000 American troops from Germany to Poland. The latter sees the move as preventing possible Russian aggression.
US Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher has made similar criticism about Germany's reluctance to offer more financial resources to NATO.
“Polonia has fulfilled its obligation to NATO to spend 2 percent of GDP on protection. Germany no! We would welcome American troops coming from Germany to Poland“, she wrote in a Twitter post Thursday.
The United States has more than 33 thousand soldiers in Germany and a contingent of 17 thousand American civil servants in support of them. It is believed that the United States also has a nuclear arsenal in Germany.
President Trump is right, like Georgette Mosbacher“, Mr. Green told the news agency dpa.
Numerous expectations have asked the country with the largest economy in Europe to pay for its defence. This request has been made over many years, and by many presidents“, he said. Mr. Greenell added that the United States should react if Germany continues to ignore President Trump's request to raise defence expenses.
This month President Donald Trump travels towards France for the 7th Group meeting, where Iran is expected to be a key topic. Mr. Trump will also visit Poland and Denmark. Earlier this month Ambassador Green criticised Germany for its reluctance to join an American naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz, near Iran. (VOA)
