Trump: Russia 'Owns' Germany; Ukraine Crisis An EU Problem

Former President Donald Trump said Russia controls Germany because of its dependence on Russian gas and said the Russia-Ukraine crisis is a "European problem," Alia Shoaib reported for Business Insider.

Photo Insert: "Germany made a deal with Russia with the pipeline, and Nord Stream is a disaster," Trump said.

"Europe should be totally involved," Trump told conservative radio host Glenn Beck on Saturday, speaking about growing fears of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. "Germany made a deal with Russia with the pipeline, and Nord Stream is a disaster," Trump said, referring to an undersea Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline.

Germany uses gas for 40% of its energy demand. It can also buy natural gas from the Middle East and the US, thus belying the Trump’s overblown claim that Germany is 70% dependent on Siberian gas.

"And I'm the one that brought that up. Nobody even knew about it. I used to talk about it all the time. Then they'd say, 'Oh, he's weak on Russia.' Putin would say, 'you're killing me with this pipeline.' But I got it stopped,” Trump bragged.

Nord Stream 2 is designed to double the gas flowing directly from Russia to Germany, bypassing the typical transit route through Ukraine. The project has faced criticism across Europe and the US for giving Russia possibly dangerous leverage over Europe. Ukraine has also criticized the pipeline that deprives it of billions in gas transit fees.

As president, Trump approved sanctions targeting firms building Nord Stream 2, but President Joe Biden waived them last May. The $11 billion pipeline finished in September but is not yet operational, pending German certification.

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