Trump: Germany controlled by Russia with gas, but asks for shield

BRUSSELS, Jul 11 (PRIME) -- Russia controls Germany through exports of its natural gas, while the U.S. has to protect Berlin from Moscow, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday at a business breakfast with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

“Germany pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia, So we’re protecting Germany, we’re protecting France, and we’re protecting all these countries, and then…the countries go out and make a pipeline deal with Russia…so we’re supposed to protect you from Russia, but they pay billions of dollars to Russia, and I think it’s very inappropriate,” he said.

“It should have never been allowed to happen, but Germany is being totally controlled by Russia, because they will get 60-70% of their energy from Russia in a new pipeline. And you tell me if it’s appropriate, because I think it’s not.”

The Nord Stream-2 project envisages construction of two lines of a natural gas pipeline with an annual capacity of up to 55 billion cubic meters, running from the Russian shore to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Russian gas giant Gazprom will implement the project together with Germany’s E.ON and BASF, Royal Dutch Shell, Austria’s OMV, and France’s Engie.

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