Heiko Maas, Germany's foreign minister: 'We can no longer completely rely on the White House'

By Gabriella Muñoz - The Washington Times - Monday, July 16, 2018

Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said his country mistrusts the U.S. and called for Europe to double down on unity, Reuters reported on Monday.

“We can no longer completely rely on the White House. To maintain our partnership with the USA we must readjust it. The first clear consequence can only be that we need to align ourselves even more closely in Europe,” Mr. Maas told the Funke newspaper group.

The foreign minister’s comments come after President Trump called the European Union a “foe” during an interview with CBS News.

“I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade,” Mr. Trump said.

The U.S. and the EU are in an ongoing trade war since late June, with both sides slapped with tariffs on billions worth of goods.

Relations between the U.S. and Germany were also strained during the NATO summit.

At the opening breakfast, Mr. Trump directly criticized Germany’s oil deal with Russia, accusing the country of being “totally controlled” by Europe’s rival.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed back against the president’s comments. The two leaders held a joint press conference after the back and forth.

Ahead of his Monday meeting with Russian President Putin, Mr. Trump praised the NATO alliance, saying other leaders were calling to thank him.

Received many calls from leaders of NATO countries thanking me for helping to bring them together and to get them focused on financial obligations, both present & future. We had a truly great Summit that was inaccurately covered by much of the media. NATO is now strong & rich!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2018