BRUSSELS, Belgium (NBCNC) – President Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met at the NATO summit in Brussels Wednesday after he publicly criticized Germany for its spending on national defense and a Russian oil pipeline.
President Trump described the talks as a “great meeting.” He said they discussed defense investment and trade, adding: “We have a tremendous relationship with Germany.”
Merkel said she raised issues of migration and economic development with the president.
Trump said earlier Wednesday that Germany is “totally controlled” by and “captive to Russia” because of a pipeline project.
He was referring to the Nord Stream Two Pipeline that would bring gas from Russia to Germany’s northeastern Baltic Coast, bypassing some eastern European nations. It would be doubling the amount of gas Russia can send directly to Germany.
The vast undersea pipeline is opposed by the US and some other European Union members, who warn it could give Moscow greater leverage over western Europe.
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