Donald Trump has declared Germany is a "captive" of Russia as he launched an angry assault on US allies at the start of a two-day NATO summit.
At a breakfast with NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg before the arrival of other world leaders, the US president kept up his typically vociferous campaign for other countries to boost their defence spending.
It raises the prospect of another acrimonious gathering of world leaders, following Mr Trump's junking of a G7 agreement in Canada last month.
Mr Trump immediately targeted Germany as he spoke in Brussels - citing an "inappropriate" gas deal with Russia that he claimed has left Berlin "totally controlled" by Moscow.
He said: "Germany, as far as I'm concerned, is captive of Russia because it is getting so much of its energy from Russia.
"So we're supposed to protect Germany but they're getting their energy from Russia. Explain that. It can't be explained.
"They pay billions of dollars to Russia and we have to defend them against Russia."
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