Germany says can't figure out Trump's foreign policy goals

[January 06, 2017]    BERLIN (Reuters) - German officials who have held talks with members of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's transition team have not been able to figure out what kind of foreign and security policy his administration wants to pursue, a spokesman said on Friday.

President-elect Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a USA Thank You Tour event in Mobile, Alabama, U.S., December 17, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

"It ultimately remains the case that there still is no clear, coherent and comprehensive picture of what kind of foreign and security policy the new Trump administration wants to pursue in the world," Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer told a regular government news conference.

Trump has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and nominated people seen as friendly toward Moscow to senior administration posts.

Should Trump seek to improve relations with Kremlin, he could unsettle Germany, whose Chancellor Angela Merkel has supported the extension of European Union sanctions against Russia over its role in the conflict in Ukraine.

(Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Paul Carrel)

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