Trump recently called the Germans “bad, very bad” for their trade surplus with the US [Xinhua]Days after a debate with Trump that the German Chancellor described as “very dissatisfying”, Angela Merkel on Sunday cast doubts on the EU’s alignment with the United States and Britain, saying Europeans should determine their own destiny.
“I experienced that in the last a few days, and therefore I can only say that we Europeans must really take our fate into our own hands, of course in friendship with the United States and in friendship with Great Britain and as good neighbors wherever it is possible, also with Russia and also with all the other countries,” Merkel said during an election campaign at a beer tent in Germany’s southern state of Bavaria.
At a meeting with senior European Union officials in Brussels on Thursday, Trump said Germany was “very bad on trade”.
On Sunday Merkel said that following the election of US President Donald Trump and Brexit, Europeans “really have to take destiny into their own hands.”
“The times when we could fully rely on others are to some extent over.” Merkel said.
Merkel was referring to her frustrating experience at the G7 meeting earlier last week in Italy’s Sicily.
The German leader described the summit as “very difficult, not to say very unsatisfactory”.
Some of the agendas were especially tough for Merkel, among them was the rise of protectionism and the discussion about the Paris agreement on climate change.
Six of the seven nations agreed to stick with their commitment to implement 2015 deal to tackle global warming. However, Trump in the end refused to endorse it, saying he needed more time to decide.
The final communique acknowledged a split between the United States and its six partners over honoring the 2015 Paris accord on climate change.
Trump also criticised NATO allies for not spending more on defense and repeated the charge that some members owed “massive amounts of money” from past years.
German magazine Der Spiegel quoted Trump as saying: “The Germans are bad, very bad. Look at the millions of cars they’re selling in the U.S. We will stop that.”
TBP and Agencies
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