Nearly two-thirds of Germans say Trump is more dangerous than Putin – poll
Nearly two-thirds of Germans believe the actions of US President Donald Trump are more dangerous than the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a new poll conducted ahead of the two leaders’ summit reveals.
A day before the long-awaited summit in Helsinki, the German DPA agency released the results of a poll conducted by UK-based YouGov data analytics firm.
Despite speculation by mainstream media and Western politicians about ‘bogeyman’ Russia and ‘scary’ Putin, 64 percent of YouGov respondents believe Trump’s politics pose a greater risk to world peace than those of the Russian leader. Only 16 percent said that Putin’s actions were dangerous.
Meanwhile, at least 36 percent agree with the policies of the Russian leader, while only six percent sided with Trump. Putin is also viewed as more powerful than his American counterpart (43 percent against 25 percent).
The opinions of respondents seem to run counter to the attitude of a number of German politicians in relation to the Putin-Trump meeting, which has been a hot topic of discussion in the media. The country’s lawmakers have long feared that Trump could take actions that are not in line with NATO.
“There are great concerns in the alliance about what agreements Trump and Putin could reach” during the summit, said Peter Beyer, transatlantic coordinator for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition.
Similarly, Christian Lindner, the head of Germany’s Free Democrats, insisted that he does not trust Trump, and that his actions in the areas of trade and security were not in Washington’s long-term interest.
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On Sunday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned Trump against making “unilateral deals” with Russia. “Unilateral deals at the expense of allies will harm the United States, too. The one who hits his partners risks losing eventually,” he stressed.
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