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It cannot be denied that the current President of the United States often behaves in an erratic and aggressive way. And Mr Trump sometimes gives the impression that he has not done his homework, especially when it comes to international matters. Nonetheless, his statements can also be an opportunity to recall some disturbing truths. There are two recent examples. First, the US Pt repeats tirelessly that too many NATO countries don't pay their fair share of defence costs. He is absolutely right. The US will account for 70% of defence spending in NATO in 2018 (Fig.Nato). European States will have no choice but to substantially increase their defence budgets. It is the price which must be paid in order to ensure their independence. Then let us talk about Germany. Mr Trump is giving Mrs Merkel a lecture on the energy dependence of Germany vis-à-vis Russia. Once again, he is right. Today Germany gets about 50% of its natural gas from Russia (Fig.BP). And this dependence is expected to rise significantly after the completion of the North Stream 2 Project, a new export gas pipeline from Russia to Europe across the Baltic Sea. This could put into question the security of Germany's energy supply. The comments from Mr Trump on these two hot topic issues are therefore justified. Of course, he has his unique way of saying things. And it is definitely not a diplomatic language. But his voters appreciate his straight talk and even his arrogance.

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