Trump attacks allied countries by arriving in Japan for the G-20 summit

Before landing in Osaka, the American president criticized Japan, Germany and India

OSAKA, Japan - When arriving atJapan on Thursday for the meeting of G-20 , Donald Trumprepeated the behavior exhibited in his last international trip: attacked the allies of the United States , including its host country just before talk about fundamental issues such as security and trade.

Before and during his trip to the summit of the world's 20 largest economies, Trump criticized Japan, Germany, and India. He complained that, under preexisting treaties, if the United States were attacked, Japan would only "watch on a Sony television." The American leader also accused Germany of taking advantage of the US and rebuked India for raising tariffs on American products.

The choice of targets seems to have been strategic, taking into account the president's agenda for this Friday. Trump is expected to have an individual meeting with Japanese PM G-20 host Prime Minister Shinzo Abe followed by a joint meeting with Abe and Narendra Modi, the Indian premier. Shortly thereafter, the American president will speak exclusively with As it has done since it came to power, Trump mischaracterized how NATO really works and gave a false number about the American contribution to the military alliance. The group has a budget to cover civilian and military costs, and the United States accounts for only 22 percent of the total, according to formulas based on the income of member countries. None of the participants have their contributions late.

Trump actually referred to a commitment by NATO members to invest 2% of their income in their own armed forces by 2024. The president was not completely mistaken when he said that only seven countries have achieved this goal by the time they momentum - the United States, with 3.4%, Greece, Estonia, the United Kingdom, Romania, Poland and Latvia. Germany allocates only 1.4% of its budget to the defense, but neither Merkel nor any other leader is obliged to pay for the military forces of any country other than yours.

Collectively, the estimated defense spending of all NATO countries amounts to $ 1 trillion, according to an update released this week. US defense spending accounts for 70 percent of the group's total - not 100 percent - and even this bill is not restricted solely to Europe's defense, including US military expenditures in the Pacific and the Middle East. and, lastly, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Trump, on the other hand, did not say anything negative about Vladimir Putin, the fourth leader he will meet on Friday, suspected of conducting a systematic campaign to interfere in the 2016 US elections. Recently, two American citizens were arrested in Russia on charges considered by critics of the Kremlin to be false.

The US president also has not criticized the leader with whom he will have breakfast on Saturday, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. Last week, the UN said it had " credible evidence" that bin Salman is involved in the murder and quartering of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who lived in the United States.

By reserving his attacks on US allies, the president repeated the behavior displayed during his visit to the United Kingdom earlier this month. On occasion, when a reporter mentioned a criticism that Meghan Markle made to Trump during the 2016 elections, he said he did not know the Duchess of Sussex was " unpleasant ." He also called the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, of " failed " and accused him of not managing well the British capital.

In more recent attacks, the US president criticized the United States' mutual defense agreement with Japan - a key part of the bilateral relationship between the two countries, dating back to the end of World War II. Following reports by Bloomberg that Washington would have considered leaving the treaty during private talks, Trump commented on the matter during an interview on Wednesday, even without being asked.

"We have a treaty with Japan," the president told Fox News . "If Japan is attacked, we will fight the Third World War." We will enter and protect them, we will fight with our lives and with our resources. Let's fight at any cost, right? But if we are attacked, Japan does not have to help us at all. They can watch the attack on a Sony television.

The United States signed the agreement with Japan in 1951, after imposing a new Constitution to the country. The document bans the Japanese from having an offensive Army that has capacity beyond self-defense. Under the treaty, the Americans guaranteed the right to keep soldiers in Japan, where they maintain military bases. In return, the United States has vowed to defend the Asian country in the event of an attack.

In Tokyo, Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga rejected Trump's accusations that the treaty was unfair. During a press conference, he said that "the obligations of the United States and Japan" are "balanced between the two countries".

After criticizing the agreement with Japan, Trump repeated his attacks on Germany:

"We are banking on nearly 100% of NATO's costs," the president said. "People do not know that. We pay nearly everything because Germany does not pay what it should pay, and of the 28 countries, seven are up to date.

Trump's attack on the Indian premier was not focused on security issues, but on another topic that appealed to the president: tariffs.

"I look forward to talking to Prime Minister Modi about the fact that India has imposed very high tariffs on the United States for years, recently increasing them further," the American president tweeted of Air Force One as he flew over the Pacific Ocean. "This is unacceptable and rates should be withdrawn!"

What Trump did not say in his tweet is that India has raised tariffs on 28 categories of products exported to the United States because the White House has decided to raise rates on imports of aluminum and iron from India. In May, the US president also revoked a special status granted to the Asian country that allowed tariff exemptions of up to $ 5.6 billion in products imported by the United States.

Shortly after landing in Osaka, a dinner with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was scheduled on Trump's agenda. In contrast to his comments regarding other world leaders, the American leader defended Morrison and the hard-line policy that his government has adopted toward refugees and asylum seekers. In a tweet, Trump posted four pictures with phrases like "No way" and "You will not make Australia your home". "These pamphlets show the Australian position against illegal immigration," Trump said. "Much can be learned!"