German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) looks at U.S. President Donald Trump (R) walking alongside her during a family photo as part of the NATO summit at the Grove Hotel in Watford, northeast London, on December 4, 2019.
CHRISTIAN HARTMANN
Diplomatic ties between Washington and Berlin have declined markedly in recent years, and Germany’s foreign minister seems to warn that relations between the two countries may never be the same again.
In the biggest sign of how strained relations have turned, Heiko Maas said this weekend that the alliance with the United States, which is important in terms of economy, defense and security, may not recover even if President Donald Trump’s rival For the White House, Democrat Joe Biden won the next election.
“Everyone who thinks that everything in the transatlantic partnership will be as before with a Democratic president underestimates the structural changes,” Maas told the German news agency DPA on Sunday, Deutsche Welle reported.
“Transatlantic relations are extremely important, they are still important, and we are working to ensure that they have a future,” said Maas. “But as they are now, they are no longer meeting the demands that both parties have on them.” “
Arguably the most influential economies and political blocs in the Western world, the US and Germany have seen their relationship deteriorate during Trump’s time in office.
Defense spending, a looming trade war between the US and Europe, and the threat of US tariffs on German car exports are controversial, as is the Nord Stream 2 mega pipeline (a German-Russian project. ) and, more recently, the Group of Seven (G-7) alliance and the decision of the United States to withdraw troops from Germany.
Defense spending
Trump has repeatedly criticized Germany, Europe’s largest economy, multiple times since his election in 2016.
NATO has been a particular source of tension, with Trump calling Germany for its defense spending. In mid-June, Trump once again rebuked the country for calling him a “criminal” in his defense spending, saying he has yet to honor his commitment to spend 2% of his GDP (gross domestic product) on defense, as requires a 2014 NATO Agreement.
“We are protecting Germany and they are criminals. That doesn’t make sense,” Trump said, adding that the United States was going to “reduce the troop count to 25,000 soldiers,” arguing that troop parking in Germany comes at “a tremendous cost. for the United States. ”
Germany spent an estimated 1.38% on defense spending in 2019, according to NATO estimates, while the US spent 3.42%. Germany said last year that its goal is to reach the 2% target by 2031.
Trump also accused Germany, and the European Union in general, of treating the United States “wrong” in trade, saying “so that we hurt ourselves in trade and hurt ourselves in NATO.” Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on European car imports, a move that would greatly harm Germany, which is home to European car production.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnOsvwUJaTk
Plans to withdraw around 9,500 soldiers from Germany have caused dismay in Europe and some criticism from US lawmakers, concerned about how Russia could exploit the withdrawal.
G-7
The Group of Seven (G-7) alliance of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, France, Italy and Japan is also another scenario of tension.
Trump has previously refused to endorse the conclusions of a G-7 summit, an act that German Chancellor Angela Merkel called “a bit depressing.” Relations recently collapsed after Merkel rejected Trump’s invitation to a G-7 summit in Washington due to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump’s desire to see Russia readmitted to the group has also created a split in the group.
Nord Stream 2
Germany’s relationship with Russia, particularly when it comes to energy, is another contentious issue. US officials criticize Nord Stream 2, a giant energy infrastructure project that will transfer gas from Russia to Germany, bypassing Ukraine.
Trump said in 2018 that Germany was “fully controlled” by Russia, and in December 2019, the United States imposed sanctions on the project, which is nearing completion, sparking anger from Russia and Germany. For its part, Berlin responded by saying that “European energy policy must be decided in Europe, not in the United States.”
The United States is considering imposing more sanctions on the pipeline project, a move that reportedly could attract retaliatory measures from Germany; The Merkel administration is considering pressing for coordinated action by the European Union, according to two German officials familiar with the discussions, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
On the Russian side, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNBC in early June that any US sanction against Nord Stream 2 “would be an attack on unfair competition that runs counter to international law and international trade rules. “
“We consider it to be very dangerous for (the) global economy and the economic environment. We know that our partners in Germany and European countries also have (a) many concerns about this potential threat and we are determined to continue construction work in the framework of this international project, “said Peskov.
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