Trump calls Germany 'captive to Russia' at NATO Brussels summit, demands 4% defense spending

President Donald Trump arrives at the NATO summit in Brussels on July 11, 2018, and attacks Germany before Allied leaders, saying it is "captive to Russia" because it pays billions for Russian natural gas through the Nord Stream pipeline while relying on U.S. military protection. Trump demands NATO members raise defense spending to 4% of GDP, double the existing 2% target. Chancellor Angela Merkel defends Germany's sovereignty and rejects Trump's framing. The confrontation strains alliance unity and raises questions in Berlin about U.S. reliability as a security partner — a concern that resurfaces with each subsequent Trump-era drawdown.