Germany's Gabriel says ties with US difficult, will improve
Relations between Berlin and Washington are in a difficult phase but the United States is "bigger and better" than the current spat shows and ties will improve again, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Tuesday. "It is true that we have a difficult situation in relations between the United States and Germany," Gabriel said. "But the United States are older and bigger than the current conflict and so I think we will return to good relations in the future."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told her Bavarian allies in a beer tent in Munich on Sunday that Europe could no longer completely rely on its allies. US President Donald Trump responded by criticising Germany via Twitter earlier on Tuesday.
"We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change," tweeted Trump. In response, Head of the German Social Democrats' (SPD) parliamentary group thomas Oppermann said that "Donald Trump makes clear with his tweet that he views Germany as a political opponent."
