Congressional Democratic leadership blasted President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE on Wednesday after he called Germany a "captive" of Russia, saying his comment at a NATO meeting "is an embarrassment."

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Trump sparked a war of words with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after he said a gas pipeline deal with Russia made the country a "captive" to Moscow and urged NATO to assess the situation. Merkel fired back, saying that the country is "united in freedom."

The NATO meeting in Brussels comes ahead of a one-on-one meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for early next week. The meeting has sparked concerns in Europe, as well as with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who worry Trump could end up making major concessions.

Schumer and Pelosi added on Wednesday that if Trump leaves the Putin meeting without "ironclad assurances and concrete steps toward a full cessation of Russian attacks on our democracy," it will be a "failure" and a "grave step backward for the future of the international order and global security."

“The president needs to remember that, as Commander-in-Chief, his duty is to protect the American people from foreign threats, not to sell out our democracy to Putin," they added.