President Trump came out swinging at the NATO summit on Wednesday, claiming that Germany was “totally controlled” by Russia and slamming members of the alliance for not ponying up enough for military defense spending.

​In a breakfast meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Trump questioned why the US protects Germany even though the country is involved in an energy deal with Russia.​

“I think it’s very sad when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia, where you’re supposed to be guarding against Russia​,​ and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia,” Trump ​told Stoltenberg. “So we’re protecting Germany, we’re protecting France, we’re protecting all of these countries. And then numerous of the countries go out and make a pipeline deal with Russia where they’re paying billions of dollars into the coffers of Russia. And I think that’s very inappropriate.”

​”​But Germany is totally controlled by Russia, because they will be getting from 60 to 70 percent of their energy from Russia and a new pipeline​,” Trump continued.​

​T​he president was apparently referring to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would bring natural gas from Russia to northern Germany and bypass other nations like Poland and Ukraine.

The US and some members of the European Union oppose the project because it would give Russia too much leverage by making much of Western Europe dependent on the energy supply.

Stoltenberg played down Trump’s remarks as a misunderstanding between NATO nations.

“I think that two world wars and the Cold War taught us that we are stronger together than apart,” ​he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel dismissed Trump’s claims out of hand.

“I’ve experienced myself a part of Germany controlled by the Soviet Union and I’m very happy today that we are united in freedom as the Federal Republic of Germany and can thus say that we can determine our own policies and make our own decisions and that’s very good,” she said​ as she arrived at NATO headquarters in Brussels​.

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said she’s confused by the assertion that Germany is a “captive” to Russia.

“We have a lot of issues with Russia, without any doubt, but on the other hand you should keep a communication line between countries or alliances and opponents without any question,” she said. “So I’m curious to listen in-depth in the meeting what the American president is meaning by that.”

W​hite House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump is scheduled to meet with Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron later Wednesday. ​

Trump later tweeted out the breakfast meeting with Stoltenberg.

​At the breakfast, Trump also assailed NATO members for not spending enough on defense, saying they owe the US money because it has been carrying them for years.​

​”Frankly, many countries owe us a tremendous amount of money for many years back, where they’re delinquent, as far as I’m concerned, because the United States has had to pay for them,” he railed to Stoltenberg. “So if you go back 10 or 20 years, you’ll just add it all up. It’s massive amounts of money is owed. The United States has paid and stepped up like nobody.”

​NATO committed during a 2014 summit that each country would spend 2 percent of its gross domestic product in the next decade on defense.

Only eight of the group’s 29 members are expected to meet that goal this year: the US, Britain, Greece, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Romania and Lithuania.

Trump said the members will be catching up to their ​responsibilities​ but called on them to do more.

​”​This year, since our last meeting, commitments have been made for over $40 billion more money spent by other countries. So that’s a step, but it’s a very small step​,” he said. “But it’s a very small amount of money relative to what they owe and to what they should be paying. And it’s an unfair burden on the United States.”

With wires