Taormina, Sicily — Saturday, may 27, the President of trump refused to support the Paris climate agreement, ending their first overseas trip the same way he started it, namely in the atmosphere of controversy with a few allies and a lot of questions within the United States about his possible relations with Russia.
Mr. trump refused to support this agreement after three days of heated arguments and intensive campaigning by other leaders, which began on Wednesday, may 24, with the appeal of Pope Francis. Other members of the group of seven reaffirmed their willingness to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in the joint statement they issued on Saturday, may 27.
The situation may change the future role of the US in the climate agreement, although Mr. trump promised next week to make a decision on whether the US first out of 195 countries signatories to the agreement, which will be.
On Saturday, may 27, after a nine-day trip to the Middle East, Mr. trump is back in the White house, plunged into crisis, exacerbated by the publication of new data on the links between its allies and Russia.
The climate agreement has become the most clear evidence of differences between the US and its allies — the most obvious but not the only: Mr. trump criticized Germany for its trade practices and chastised members of NATO because they do not make the necessary contribution to the activities of the Alliance.
“Various countries a very long time to share their views,” said Gary Kohn (Gary D. Cohn), Director of the National economic Council. But he added that other countries understand the refusal of Mr. trump to make a decision now, despite the fact that they do not support such a position.
“Since joining the President on his position was not so much time, and they respect that, — said Mr. Cohn. — All of us — allies. We all try to achieve a certain result and to be respectful to each other.”
Although the decision of Mr. trump’s not surprising that the criticism of him not long in coming.
Alden Meyer (Alden Meyer), Director of strategy and policy Union of concerned scientists, said, “the indecision of the President trump the question of whether to endorse the Paris climate agreement or to withdraw from it, have prevented consensus on the need for decisive action at the summit in Taormina. But he remained in complete isolation”.
As informs Agency Associated Press, the leaders of Germany and France expressed their disappointment. “In General, the debate about the climate was very difficult, not to say very disappointing, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel. — There is a situation in which six — or seven, if you count the EU — against one”.
According to the President of France Emmanuel Makron (Emmanuel Macron), he told Mr. Trump that “for the reputation of the United States and for the Americans it is imperative that America had fulfilled its obligations” in accordance with the agreement on climate change.
Statement of the group of seven gives US some time to settle disagreements inside the White house on the question of whether to withdraw from this agreement. The statement said that the U.S. is “in the process of revising its policy on the issue of climate change and the Paris climate agreement, so they can’t join the consensus”.
The US President did not mention the deadlock in his only public speech after the meeting of the summit, namely, in his address to the U.S. military base at Sigonella in Sicily. However, he again voiced their complaints about the trade and the financing of NATO, although he called his visit very successful.
“We have been successful, no matter where we are now,” said he.
The lack of final decisions regarding climate agreement introduced some uncertainty into the results of his first trip abroad, which was to serve as a respite from political scandals in the United States.
White house officials — who were on Board the aircraft of the US President flying to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when reports emerged that Mr. trump called the former Director of the FBI “crazy fool” — hoping that this trip will finally allow to switch the attention to other topics. In a sense, the way it happened, at least because the White house has organised this trip in such a way as to keep Mr. trump away from journalists eager to ask him many questions. They refused to hold press conferences and planned the trip so as to fully control the situation: a short photo shoot with foreign leaders, a speech with the teleprompter, a formal meeting with the other leaders.
But on Saturday, may 27, while his aides tried to advertise the success achieved in the course of the trip, the journalists showered them with questions in connection with the emergence of reports that brother-in-law of Mr. trump, Jared Kushner (Jared Kushner), discussed with the Russians the possibility of creating a secret channel of communication with Moscow during the transitional period.
“We will not comment on the situation with Jared,” he said irritably, Mr. Kon.
In a sense, here the focus should be not one but two trips, each of which had its own theme and objectives.
In Saudi Arabia and Israel, Mr. trump was surprisingly disciplined, clearly stuck to the script and even made two speeches in which he clearly stated the basic principles of his approach to politics in the middle East. The warm reception which he met in both countries, pointed to the fact that the United States could start over with these allies, who were extremely dissatisfied with the actions of the Obama administration.
Meanwhile, in Europe, Mr. trump showed his grumpy side. In addition to critical rants on the financing of NATO, addressed to the members of the Alliance, he refused to publicly reaffirm America’s readiness to fulfil the commitments in accordance with Article 5, which requires that the United States would defend Alliance members under attack.
Mr. trump also became the object of ridicule after he abruptly pushed in the direction of the Prime Minister of Montenegro at the time of shooting this scene quickly became a metaphor for his rude and disrespectful attitude to the Europeans.
“His advisors tried to convince him that some allies are very nervous and need assurances,’ said Volker, Partes (Volker Perthes), Director of the German Institute for international politics and security. He managed to do it when I was in Saudi Arabia and Israel.” But in Europe, he Mr. perasa, “he does not respect us.”
Brian McKeon (Brian McKeon), who held a high position in the Pentagon under the Obama administration, said: “Challenging behavior in a staff-NATO apartment was contrary to all diplomatic norms. He managed to break all the rules, but failed to establish friendly relations”.
Adviser on national security, Lieutenant-General G. R. McMaster (H. R. McMaster) said that the participation of Mr. trump in this ceremony is proof of willingness to comply with the requirements of Article 5. “He didn’t make the decision not to speak of this,” the General said McMaster.
As regards the climate, Mr. trump has long opposed what he calls the economic risks that may lead to a global agreement on climate change. He insisted on more flexibility in emission standards, claiming that other countries get more favorable terms and that this agreement can be very costly to American companies.
In his tweet, posted on Saturday, may 27, he wrote: “I will accept the final decision under the Paris agreement next week!”
In the West wing of the White house is now undergoing intense debate about whether to withdraw from this agreement or necessary to try to rewrite its terms. These disputes going on between staunch nationalists such as chief strategist Steven Bannon (Stephen K. Bannon), and advisors to more traditional views, such as Mr. Kon.
Thursday, may 25, Mr. Cohn told reporters that the position of Mr. trump in this matter, “evolyutsioniruet”. However, according to other senior officials, even if the United States would support the agreement, they will ignore some of his principles.
The United States is ranked second after China in terms of greenhouse gas emissions — will not lead to the termination of this agreement, negotiations on which were under the administration of President Obama and which was ratified last year. However, the US withdrawal would significantly weaken the authority of this agreement and will be the reason for the other countries.
According to some diplomats, many countries have already tired of the endless fluctuations of America in climate policy. In 1997 the United States signed the first global climate agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, but then, under the Bush administration, came out of him.
“At some point, other countries just tired of the fact that we first enter, and then exit the agreements and ask ourselves whether they are willing to work with US on this issue,” said Michael Oppenheimer (Michael Oppenheimer), Professor of geophysical Sciences and international relations at Princeton.
Supporters of Mr. trump, particularly Republicans from States where the coal industry is developed, encourage him to get out of this agreement, considering such a step in fulfillment of his campaign promises. Speaking to the workers of the rig in may last year, Mr. trump has promised to “cancel” the agreement.
Employees and heads of the enterprises of the coal industry in States such as Kentucky and West Virginia, argued strongly that Mr. trump turned all programmes relating to climate change, which was initiated by Mr. Obama and which, ultimately, aims to reduce the volume of coal burned.
In a recent letter to Mr. Trump from attorneys General from 10 States attorney General West Virginia Patrick Morrisey (Morrisey Patrick) wrote: “out of the Paris climate agreement is an important and necessary step towards curtailing the destructive energy policy and arbitrariness of the era of Obama.”
As for trade, Mr. trump has demanded that any agreement concluded with US, was fair. The administration of the trump in particular has criticized Germany, accusing it of understating of the Euro in order to make its products more competitive and to weaken the position of American goods.
During the meeting with European Union leaders in Brussels on Thursday, may 25, Mr. trump expressed dissatisfaction in connection with the import of German cars, threatening to ban their import and calling Germany unscrupulous in matters of trade.
German officials noted that the two leading German luxury car manufacturer, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have a giant Assembly plants in the United States. They are also unhappy that the administration officials trump repeatedly talked about the possibility to conclude bilateral trade agreement with Germany — as an EU member, Germany cannot take such a step.
Soon after the plane of President of the United States took to the air in Sicily and went to Washington, Mr. trump tweeted that he received great pleasure from meeting which discussed the issues of trade, adding: “We call for the abolition of all practices that hinder trade… to create equal conditions for all”.
