Merkel hits back at Trump’s criticism
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GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel led a sharp European response to US President-elect Donald Trump yesterday after he branded the NATO alliance “obsolete” and criticized her open-door refugee policy.
In hard-hitting interviews with two European newspapers, Trump unleashed a volley of verbal attacks on Europe, hailing Britain’s decision to leave the European Union and saying more countries were going to quit the bloc.
With fears growing in Europe over Trump’s commitment to the transatlantic alliance and over signs he will pivot toward Russia, Merkel said the continent now had to take responsibility for itself.
“We Europeans have our fate in our own hands,” Merkel told reporters in Berlin when asked about Trump’s criticisms, adding that she will work toward getting the EU to strengthen the economy and fight terrorism.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Europe was stunned by Trump’s remarks on NATO.
France’s top diplomat Jean-Marc Ayrault said “the best response” to Trump’s comments was “the unity of Europeans.”
Trump’s latest remarks have caused further consternation among eastern European NATO countries nervous about Moscow following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and involvement in Ukraine.
“I said a long time ago that NATO had problems,” Trump told The Times of London and Bild, Germany’s biggest-selling daily.
“No. 1, it was obsolete, because it was designed many, many years ago,” he said. “No. 2, the countries aren’t paying what they’re supposed to pay.”
On the campaign trail, Trump said he would think twice about helping NATO allies if the United States was not “reasonably reimbursed” for defending them.
Trump further extended a hand to Russia, which has been hit by a string of sanctions under President Barack Obama over Moscow’s involvement in Ukraine, the Syrian war and for suspected cyber attacks to influence the US election.
“Let’s see if we can make some good deals with Russia,” Trump said, suggesting a deal in which nuclear arsenals would be reduced and sanctions eased.
Underscoring the Obama administration’s very different stance, US Vice-President Joe Biden made a farewell trip to Ukraine yesterday to show support for the war-scarred country.
In another comment that alarmed the Europeans, Trump refused to say he trusted Merkel more than Russian President Vladimir Putin, for whom the next US president has often expressed admiration.
“Well, I start off trusting both — but let’s see how long that lasts. It may not last long at all,” he said.
Trump also directly criticized Merkel for letting Germany admit undocumented migrants into the country, insinuating that this posed a security risk following a wave of Islamic State jihadist attacks in Europe.
“I think she made one very catastrophic mistake and that was taking all of these illegals, you know taking all of the people from wherever they come from.”
In other remarks, Trump said Brexit “is going to end up as a great thing,” and said he backed a trade deal with post-EU Britain which would be “good for both sides.”
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