Germany unleashed a volley of criticism on Tuesday against US President Donald Trump, slamming his “short-sighted” policies that have “weakened the West” and hurt European interests.
The sharp words from Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel came after Trump concluded his first official tour abroad which took him to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Brussels and then Italy for a G7 summit.
They followed Chancellor Angela Merkel's warning on Sunday that the United States and Britain may no longer be completely reliable partners.
Germany's exasperation was laid bare after the G7 summit which wrapped up on Saturday with the US refusing so far to sign up to upholding the 2015 Paris climate accord.
Days earlier, in Saudi Arabia, Trump had presided over the single largest US arms deal in American history, worth USD 110 billion over the next decade and including ships, tanks and anti-missile systems.
Gabriel said today that "anyone who accelerates climate change by weakening environmental protection, who sells more weapons in conflict zones and who does not want to politically resolve religious conflicts is putting peace in Europe at risk".
"The short-sighted policies of the American government stand against the interests of the European Union," he said, judging that "the West has become smaller, at least it has become weaker".
