- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Trump Ignored Merkel, Hesitating ‘Like Schoolgirl’ at UK Meeting – German Media

© REUTERS / Carlos BarriaU.S. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participate in an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, in Portsmouth, Britain, June 5, 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participate in an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, in Portsmouth, Britain, June 5, 2019 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Relations between the two countries, who used to be close allies, have been marred by a number of issues since Donald Trump took office. The US president and German chancellor have exchanged critical remarks but have not met each other in person for months. They finally talked during the D-Day celebrations in the UK.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump met for the first time in 6 months on the sidelines of the D-Day celebrations in Portsmouth, attended by over a dozen world leaders. According to the German government, the heads of state discussed a number of issues, namely the situation in Europe after the European elections in May and counter-terrorism efforts in North Africa and Sudan.

White House spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders, said that Trump, accompanied by his security adviser John Bolton and acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and Merkel had discussed the current situation in Libya and the worsening situation in West Africa, agreeing to continue their talks at the G20 Summit later this month in Osaka, Japan.

The German outlet Die Welt pointed out that it was unclear until the very last moment if Merkel and Trump would meet in Portsmouth, pointing out that the relationship between the two leaders have been sour for a long time. Merkel has repeatedly criticised isolationism and protectionism, which has been interpreted as a criticism of Trump, while the US president has slammed the German auto industry and the country’s NATO spending. The respected outlet as well as other German media platforms, for instance, Focus, noted that the photos from the Portsmouth meeting suggested a frosty start as the two leaders did not even share a traditional handshake before the meeting.

READ MORE: Merkel Says Postwar Order Over, Calls on Europe to Unite in Face of US

The German magazine Focus alleged that Trump rejected any contact with Merkel, who “stood there like a schoolgirl, hesitating, taking a step towards Trump, hesitating again” while the US president “ignored” her.

Even the duration of the meeting became a point of contradiction. According to the German side, the talks reportedly lasted for about 20 minutes, while the White House spoke about ten-minute discussions.

The UK tabloids also concluded that Trump had snubbed Merkel during the D-Day celebrations, pointing at a picture showing Merkel peeking at him while standing in a row of heads of state, attending the event, with what the journalist described as a “concerned facial expression”. The Daily Express cited body language expert Judi James suggesting that she might have been worried by Trump ignoring her.

“The way she’s leaning forward here with her head tilted to study Trump with a frown of what looks like concern suggests she might be worried he’s ignoring her again here”, the expert claimed.

Apart from attending the funeral of former US President George H. W. Bush together the last meeting between Merkel and Trump for talks was in early December on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. The two are also said to have telephoned each other on 22 March.

Merkel notably visited the USA last week but did not meet Trump there. She spoke to Mike Pompeo and also addressed graduates at the Ivy League institution, Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The German chancellor urged her audience to tear down “walls of ignorance” and lambasted protectionist policies, without mentioning the US president, however.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала