BERLIN: US President Barack Obama said on Thursday he hoped his successor Donald Trump would “stand up” to Russia when it breaches international norms, citing the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

Obama said he hoped Trump, who has voiced admiration for President Vladimir Putin, “is willing to stand up to Russia where they are deviating from our values and international norms”.

Speaking at a Berlin joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Obama said Russia was an important country and a military superpower with “influence around the world”.

But he stressed that he hoped Trump does not take an approach of “if we just cut some deals with Russia, even if it hurts people or even if it violates international norms or even if it leaves smaller countries vulnerable, or creates long-term problems in regions like Syria, that we just do whatever is convenient at the time”.

“And that will be something that I think we’ll learn more about as the president-elect puts his team together.

Earliar, President Obama paid a farewell visit to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, seen by some as the new standard bearer of liberal democracy since the election of Donald Trump.

On the last leg of his final European tour as president, Obama aimed to ease fears about the future of the transatlantic partnership and thank Merkel for her friendship during his two terms, White House officials said.

In a joint article to coincide with his arrival in Germany, Obama and Merkel appealed for ongoing cooperation on the basis of shared principles to fight climate change, ensure collective defence within Nato, and promote free trade.

“These values of democracy, justice and freedom form the foundation of our successful economies,” they wrote in business magazine Wirtschaftswoche. “We owe it to our industries and our peoples — indeed, to the global community — to broaden and deepen our cooperation,” they said, in a swat at the “America First” rhetoric favoured by Trump.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2016