Kerry: Trump's comments 'inappropriate'
John Kerry: Trump's comments 'inappropriate'
London (CNN)US
Secretary of State John Kerry has criticized President-elect Donald
Trump for a newspaper interview in which he branded NATO "obsolete" and
said Germany had pursued a "catastrophic" policy on refugees.
Kerry
told CNN's Christiane Amanpour it was "inappropriate" for Trump to "be
stepping in to the politics of other countries in a quite direct
manner."
Trump's interview
in the Times of London and the German publication Bild had rattled
allies. The German foreign minister said it had caused "astonishment and
agitation" within NATO.
As
well as repeating his criticism of NATO, Trump said the German
Chancellor Angela Merkel had made a "catastrophic" mistake in accepting
one million refugees. He also said sanctions on Russia for its
annexation of Crimea could be eased in return for a deal to reduce
nuclear weapons, and suggested his son-in-law Jared Kushner could lead a
Middle East peace effort.
In his
CNN interview, Kerry defended Merkel as "one of the strongest leaders in
Europe" and "most important players with respect to where we are
heading."
Trump
would have to deal with the consequences of his remarks after his
inauguration later this week, Kerry said. "He'll have to speak to that
-- as of Friday, he's responsible for that relationship," Kerry told
CNN.
Merkel shrugged off the
criticism on Monday. "We have known what his position is for some time,
and my position is also known," she told reporters in Berlin.
But
her foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, suggested NATO was
rattled by Trump's comments. Steinmeier said he had spoken with NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, "who is concerned that
President-elect Trump regards NATO as obsolete."
He noted Trump's position was "in contradiction" to that of James Mattis, Trump's nominee for defense secretary.
Trump
used the interview to suggest a new deal with Russia, saying sanctions
imposed on Russia after it seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 could be
eased in return for a nuclear weapons deal.
He also heaped praise on Kushner, saying he could play a peacemaker role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Do
you know what? Jared is such a good guy; he will conclude an Israel
agreement that no one else can do. You know, he is a natural talent, he
is amazing, he is a natural talent," Trump said, according to Bild.
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