{"id":63359,"date":"2017-01-15T22:43:59","date_gmt":"2017-01-16T02:43:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=63359"},"modified":"2017-01-15T22:43:59","modified_gmt":"2017-01-16T02:43:59","slug":"trump-slams-nato-floats-russia-nuke-deal-in-european-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=63359","title":{"rendered":"Trump Slams NATO, Floats Russia Nuke Deal in European Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

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by Rainer Buergin and Toluse Olorunnipa<\/p>\n

Donald Trump called NATO obsolete, predicted that other European Union members would follow the U.K. in leaving the bloc, and threatened BMW with import duties over a planned plant in Mexico, according to two European newspapers which conducted a joint interview with the president-elect.<\/p>\n

Trump, in an hourlong discussion with Germany\u2019s Bild and the Times of London published on Sunday, signaled a major shift in trans-Atlantic relations, including an interest in lifting U.S. sanctions on Russia as part of a nuclear weapons reduction deal.<\/p>\n

Quoted in German by Bild from a conversation held in English, Trump predicted that Britain\u2019s exit from the EU will be a success and portrayed the EU as an instrument of German domination designed with the purpose of beating the U.S. in international trade. For that reason, Trump said, he\u2019s fairly indifferent to whether the EU stays together, according to Bild.<\/p>\n

The Times quoted Trump as saying he was interested in making \u201cgood deals with Russia,\u201d floating the idea of lifting sanctions that were imposed as the U.S. has sought to punish the Kremlin for its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and military support of the Syrian government.<\/p>\n

\u2018Some Good Deals\u2019<\/h3>\n

\u201cThey have sanctions on Russia — let\u2019s see if we can make some good deals with Russia,\u2019\u2019 Trump said, according to the Times. \u201cFor one thing, I think nuclear weapons should be way down and reduced very substantially, that\u2019s part of it.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s reported comments leave little doubt that he\u2019ll stick to campaign positions and may in some cases upend decades of U.S. foreign policy, putting him fundamentally at odds with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on issues from free trade and refugees to security and the EU\u2019s role in the world.<\/p>\n

Repeating a criticism of NATO he made during his campaign, Trump said that while trans-Atlantic military alliance is important, it \u201chas problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s obsolete, first because it was designed many, many years ago,\u201d Trump said in the Bild version of the interview. \u201cSecondly, countries aren\u2019t paying what they should\u201d and NATO \u201cdidn\u2019t deal with terrorism.\u201d The Times quoted Trump saying that only five NATO members are paying their fair share.<\/p>\n

While those comments expanded on doubts Trump expressed about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization during his campaign, he reserved some of his most dismissive remarks for the EU and Merkel, whose open-border refugee policy he called a \u201ccatastrophic mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brexit Praise<\/h3>\n

In contrast, Trump praised Britons for voting in 2016 to leave the EU. People and countries want their own identity and don\u2019t want outsiders coming in to \u201cdestroy it,\u201d he said. The U.K. is smart to leave the bloc because the EU \u201cis basically a vehicle for Germany,\u201d the Times quoted Trump as saying.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you ask me, more countries will leave,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Trump told the Times that he plans to quickly pursue a trade deal with the U.K. after taking office and will meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re gonna work very hard to get it done quickly and done properly. Good for both sides,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have a meeting right after I get into the White House and it\u2019ll be, I think we\u2019re gonna get something done very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Trump blamed Brexit on an influx of refugees he said that Britain was forced to absorb, the U.K.\u2019s number of asylum applications in 2015 was a fraction of the 890,000 refugees who arrived in Germany that year at the peak of Europe\u2019s migrant crisis.<\/p>\n

Build in U.S.<\/h3>\n

With Merkel facing an unprecedented challenge from the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany as she seeks a fourth term this fall, Trump was asked whether he\u2019d like to see her re-elected. He said he couldn\u2019t say, adding that while he respects Merkel, who\u2019s been in office for 11 years, he doesn\u2019t know her and she has hurt Germany by letting \u201call these illegals\u201d into the country.<\/p>\n

In line with his threats against other automakers, Trump said Bayerische Motoren Werke AG<\/a> would face a 35 percent import duty for foreign-built BMW cars sold in the U.S. BMW should scrap plans to open a new plant in Mexico and build the factory in the U.S. instead, he was quoted as saying. BMW plans to start building 3 Series sedans at San Luis Potos\u00ed in 2019.<\/p>\n

Other Trump comments, according to Bild:<\/p>\n