Trump launches fresh attack on Germany but praises increasingly authoritarian Poland

Donald Trump has praised Poland for “standing up for their independence”, a day after the European Union (EU) referred the country to court for firing judges in sweeping reforms.

he US president also attacked Germany, which he suggested would become “totally dependent” on Russian energy following the completion of a joint gas pipeline, during a speech at the United Nations general assembly.

“Reliance on a single foreign supplier can leave nations vulnerable to extortion and intimidation and that is why we congratulate European states such as Poland for leading construction of a Baltic pipeline so that nations are not dependent on Russia to meet their energy needs,” Mr Trump told world leaders in New York.

“Germany will become totally dependent on Russian energy if it does not immediately change course."

Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom is developing an 800-mile pipeline, Nord Stream 2, designed to double natural gas volumes pumped from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, avoiding traditional transit route of Ukraine.

Eastern European countries, including Poland and Ukraine, fear Russia will exploit the gas route for political reasons. They argue the pipeline could ultimately limit supply to and the energy security of the EU.

Poland, which currently buys most of its gas from Gazprom, is working on its own Baltic Sea pipeline connected to Norwegian gas deposits via Denmark. The €2.1 billion (£1.88 billion) project is aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on Russian energy.

Mr Trump returned to Poland later in the speech with further praise, which some have read as a pointed dig at the EU.

“In Poland, a great people are standing up for their independence, their security, and their sovereignty,” he said.

Hours earlier, the European Commission referred Poland to the European Court of Justice over violations of judicial independence.

In April, the Polish government introduced controversial law reforms which lowered the retirement age of the country’s Supreme Court judges and forced many, including court’s president, out of their positions.

The move was the latest sign of the country’s shift towards autocracy under the right-wing, populist Law and Justice party, which holds a slim parliamentary majority.

After winning power, the party replaced judges in its highest constitutional court. It took control of the state broadcaster, fired presenters and began broadcasting propaganda.

Last week Mr Trump said the US was considering Poland’s request to host a permanent American military base, which Polish president Andrzej Duda suggested could be named “Fort Trump”.

But in his UN speech, the US president also praised Saudi Arabia’s autocratic rulers King Salman and his son Mohammed Bin Salman, who he said had been ”pursuing bold new reforms”.

“Many countries are pursuing their own unique visions, building their own hopeful futures, and chasing their own wonderful dreams of destiny, of legacy, and of a home,” he said.

He also spoke of his ”highly productive conversations and meetings” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Mr Trump’s praise of authoritarian world leaders was coupled with regular reminders of his own “America first” world view.

“Each of us here today is the emissary of a distinct culture, a rich history, and a people bound together by ties of memory, tradition, and the values that make our homelands like nowhere else on Earth,” he said. “That is why America will always choose independence and cooperation over global governance, control, and domination.”