Only the G-7 summit in France, then a visit to Poland for a trip to Germany, but US President Donald Trump may not find the time. Experts see the waiver as part of a broader strategy.
The distance, it is clear that Chancellor Merkel and US President, Trump at the memorial event for D-Day, June 2019
From the beginning of the summit in Biarritz, US shows-President of Trump done to himself on Twitter. “We have a very good Meeting, the leaders get along very well with each other,” he wrote in the short message service. A two-hour lunch with Macron he called “the best Meeting we have had yet”. France and Macron have so far done a great Job in the “very important” summit. A bilateral meeting with the German Chancellor on the sidelines of the summit was not planned.
After the summit, Trump visited the end of August, another European country: Poland. There he takes part in the commemoration of the beginning of the Second world war 80 years ago.
Germany, however, is not on the itinerary. Also Trump again makes no attempt whatsoever to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel in the framework of this or a later trip. This fits into the picture: In the two years of his term in office, Trump Merkel in Germany has met only once – at the G-20 summit in 2017 in Hamburg. Your a guest in Berlin, he was, however, never.
At least one thing in Common: the diamond. Donald Trump and Angela Merkel at the G-7 Meeting in Osaka, Japan, June 2019
USA and Germany: a difficult to become one ratio
The conversation list is very long. At your weight and especially the conflict were topics such as the defence spending of Germany, the attitude towards Iran, the gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 with Russia. Germany and the USA have many similarities, in recent times, however, always be differences.
Trump and Merkel have not only, in political terms, there are significant differences. Also the personal chemistry between the two is considered to be not very good. In the case of the commemorative events for the D-Day this summer, Trump Merkel offered not even a handshake.
“Transactional Leadership Style”
The removal to Germany, as well as trump’s cancellation of a planned trip to Denmark in September because of the refusal of the country to sell Greenland, were typical of Trumps “transactional leadership style”, says the USA-expert Josef Braml of the German society for Foreign policy.
“He sees himself as the boss, set clear goals and demands, and be rewarded or punished subordinates or disadvantages, if you are its requirements,” said Braml in an interview with DW.
Currently, good friends: the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda (li.) a guest at Donald Trump (re.)
Poland’s fragile role as favorites
“Therefore, Germany and Denmark will be punished with neglect. Poland, however, could prevail with material concessions for the time being, the US President,” he added.
This has consequences: While Berlin’s waning influence in Washington, Warsaw improved since the arrival of Trump, his TRANS-Atlantic profile significantly.
“Poland has a bigger influence than Germany. I would describe Poland as the second most important Partner for the United States to the UK,” says Nile Gardiner of the Washington-based “Heritage Foundation” of the ARD.
However, Braml Poland and other countries, warns not to put too much on the new diplomatic relations with the United States. “Trumps current friends in Eastern Europe should not be deceived. Sooner or later it will be for US-American Geo-strategists is important to bring the American with the Russian interests, in accordance to China’s extensive activities to curb,” said Braml in the DW-interview.
Strategy: the division of the EU
The new custom, to neglect economically strong European countries and to consider instead those countries with attention to a particularly difficult relationship with Brussels, could go back to a comprehensive strategic Intention – namely, the intention to deepen the gap within the European Union.
Nothing like way: U.S. Ambassador R. Grenell leaves a ceremony for the diplomatic corps in Schloss Meseberg, July 2018
“Trumps travel plan in Europe is an obvious attempt to divide the EU. This has made his government are already clear. Do you believe in such a policy, because they are opponents of multilateralism,” says Jacob Kirkegaard, Senior Fellow at the American Peterson Institute for International Economics in an interview with the ARD.
In this sense, Trump has also supported the Brexit-hardliners and the new British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson repeated. At the same time, the U.S. Ambassador in Germany, Richard Grenell threatened, the U.S. could withdraw its troops from Germany, and instead to Poland route.
“Trumps government has tried from the beginning to drive a wedge between the EU member States”, says the transatlantic coordinator of the German government, Peter Beyer, in an interview with the southwest press. “We should take this seriously.”
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