From Trump to Merz: I stopped Nord Stream 2
US President Donald Trump, who hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House, claimed that he blocked the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Defending that he is now "dead" because he stopped the project, Trump said that they still call himself "Putin's friend" despite preventing this project that connects Germany and Russia with energy transfer.
Trump continued, referring to the previous administration's decision to lift sanctions on the company that built the pipeline, claiming that Joe Biden "allowed" the pipeline to be built.
Trump said that he had a two-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and compared his interlocutor to "two children fighting in the park" in this meeting.
“Sometimes it's better to let them fight for a while,” the president said.
Trump said it was difficult to stop the war because there was “too much hostility” between the two countries and a great hatred between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskiy.
When Trump was asked if he would impose new sanctions on Russia, he replied, "When I saw the moment we would not make a deal, the moment when this situation would not stop."
The President answered the question of whether there is a deadline on this subject, "I have it in my head. We will be very harsh when I see the moment when he won't stop. This can apply to both countries. Tango is done with two people," he replied.
Trump, who said that if he had been president at that time, the war would never have come out, said to Merz, "There is no chance, zero."
While Trump said the "number of people killed in the war" was "much more" than reported in the news, Merz said, "We are all looking for measures to end this terrible war."
“America is once again in a very strong position to end this war,” Merz added, adding that they should jointly support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia.
Trump criticized former German Chancellor Angela Merkel for opening up her country to refugees, saying to his successor, "I told him that this shouldn't happen."
Trump also received questions about the extensive travel restrictions on 19 countries he announced the previous day. Referring to a series of attacks involving refugees in Germany, Trump said to Merz, "We want to keep bad people away from our country... Of course, you also have a small problem with some people who are accepted into your country," and Merz replied, "Yes, there is."
Trump continued, "It's not your fault... It shouldn't have been like this. I told her [Merkel] that it shouldn't be like this, but it happened. But you have your own difficulties in this regard, we have them too," he said.
Trump praised Germany, which agreed to increase the defense spending that Washington has been demanding for years to 5% of GDP. When a German journalist asked if Berlin “made enough effort into defense,” Trump said, “I know you're spending more money on defense right now. Quite a lot of money. This is a positive development," he said.
On the other hand, Trump joked, "I'm not sure if MacArthur will find this positive or not," causing tense laughter in the hall. With these words, he referred to General MacArthur, the commander-in-chief of the allied powers, which focused on the issue of disarmament after World War II.
After Merz's citation of the anniversary of the Normandy Landing (June 6, "D-Day") and the role of the United States here, Trump claimed that this day was "not a pleasant day" for the chancellor.
In the replience, Merz corrected, "In the long run, Mr. President, this was the liberation of my country from the Nazi dictatorship."
Merz presented Trump with the gold-framed birth certificate of his grandfather Friedrich Trump, who emigrated from Germany in 1885, and the book "News from the Land of Freedom - German Immigrants Write to Their Homes", which compiles the letters written by German immigrants in the USA to their families in Germany.
“This is a small gift to remind him of his family,” Merz said. He also invited Trump to Germany to visit the village where his grandfather was born.