CLIMATE CHANGE
Do the maths, Potus — Germany is paying for the defence of the planet
US president is deliberately obtuse in his suggestion that long-standing European partner is not doing its bit
The president of the US (Potus) came to the Nato summit, saw and left the chaos he bestows so generously. In the intervening period he aggravated and insulted his Nato partners in general and Germany in particular. He found time to allege that Germany is totally controlled by Russia due to the fact that Germany will be buying a significant quantum of natural gas from Vladimir Putin. Then he played the impatient, long-suffering parent wanting the juvenile to start earning his/her own way: the US spends more than 4% of a large GDP on defence, including Nato. Why, oh why are they not spending the 2% they promised to spend? Especially a rich country like Germany, sitting at a paltry 1.3%. "They could do it tomorrow," Potus asserted. (Let us avoid his name so as not to be part of feeding the personality cult.) Well Potus, stretch your attention span and bear with us; they are doing so today. Let us go back two years and remember that after a decade of work the Paris Agreement on climate ...
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