Germany Hits Back Against Donald Trump’s Attacks

Germany’s ambassador to NATO Hans Dieter Lucas is pushing back against remarks made by the presumed Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, after the latter repeatedly criticized Germany for accepting migrants, as well as for not doing enough to challenge Russia.

Trump has also accused Berlin of relying on the United States for protection, instead of taking responsibility to defend themselves, an allegation which Lucas has refuted.

“When Russia is going into Ukraine … I don’t hear from the other countries in NATO. I don’t hear from Germany. I only hear from the United States,” Trump stated on ABC’s This Week in March.

“We protect everybody and we don’t get reimbursement,” Trump said during a September 2015 press conference, specifically naming Germany.

Lucas is currently in Washington DC to discuss the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw.

In a statement to reporters in which he did not name Trump, Lucas pointed to German troops deployed to Afghanistan and Kosovo, Berlin’s deplomatic engagement in the Ukraine crisis, and Germany’s addition of 5,000 troops to the NATO force, ForeignPolicy.org reported.

“Germany is heavily engaged in all NATO missions,” Lucas observed. “Engaged like probably not many others.”

Currently, US allies in Eastern Europe are pushing for more promises of protection from perceived “Russian aggression” by the United States, leading to a battle between lawmakers, many of whom feel the US spends too much money defending Europe. 

The issue has also become a talking point for Trump, who has been repeating the phrase “America First” by way of branding his platform.