The US diplomatic envoy to Berlin is ruffling feathers with their ‘unorthodox’ negotiations tactics, according to reporting by Reuters. The White House is being asked by Germany to clarify remarks made by the US representative in Berlin regarding the US’ desire to “empower other conservatives” in Europe.
Key quotes
“The comments by Richard Grenell, a former U.S. spokesman at the United Nations and an outspoken defender of Trump, drew criticism from politicians across the German political spectrum, warning him not to meddle in domestic politics. “We have asked the U.S. side for clarification, and whether (the remarks) were made as reported,” a foreign ministry spokesman said.
The issue would be looked at again on Wednesday when Grenell is due to make his first official call at the ministry, the spokesman said. The political appointee caused anger on his first day in Berlin with a tweet telling German companies to wind down their business from Iran after the U.S. withdrew from a non-proliferation deal with Iran. In a further breach of protocol, Grenell also invited Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, a critic of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s refugee policies, to an embassy lunch during his June 12 visit to Berlin, Spiegel magazine reported.”
– Reuters
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