
President Donald Trump kicked off the NATO summit in Belgium Wednesday by attacking German Chancellor Angela Merkel with a presidential version of “I know you are, but what am I?”
In a moment that reminded many of Trump’s “no puppet” rant at a debate with Hillary Clinton, Trump declared that Germany is “totally controlled by Russia.”
“Germany as far as I am concerned is captive to Russia, because it’s getting so much of its energy from Russia,” Trump said to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “So we’re supposed to protect Germany, but they’re getting their energy from Russia. Explain that — and it can’t be explained, you know that.”
“Germany is totally controlled by Russia, because they will getting between 60 and 70 percent of their energy from Russia and a new pipeline, and you tell me if that is appropriate, because I think it’s not, and I think it’s very bad thing for NATO, and I don’t think it should have happened, and I think we have to talk to Germany about it.”
As ThinkProgress’ Aaron Rupar points out, “As of 2015, Germany imported about 35 percent of its natural gas from Russia — roughly the same amount the country imported from Norway, and slightly more than it imported from the Netherlands.”
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