Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has stated that he will seek “independence” in security matters from the United States and voiced concerns about NATO’s future.
“For me, the absolute priority will be strengthening Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can achieve independence from the U.S. on defense issues,” Merz said late on Sunday after his CDU/CSU alliance came first in Germany’s parliamentary elections.
He added that he has “no illusions about what is coming from America.”
“After the statements by [U.S. President] Donald Trump last week, it is clear that the Americans are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe,” Merz said.
“I’m very curious to see how we will proceed towards the NATO summit at the end of June – whether we will still be talking about NATO in its current form or whether we will need to create an independent defense capability in Europe much sooner,” he added.
Trump had shocked America’s traditional European allies with his willingness to restart diplomatic relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
This raised concerns that Europe or even Kyiv itself could be sidelined in this process.
Trump has also complained that European countries are not paying enough for their own defense and has often questioned the long-term sustainability of NATO.
In his post-election comments, Merz stated: “Interventions from Washington were no less dramatic and drastic than those we have seen from Moscow.”
He referred to statements made by Trump ally Elon Musk before the elections, in favor of the far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD).
“We are under such great pressure from both sides that my absolute priority now is to create unity in Europe,” Merz said.
In one of Germany’s most significant post-World War II elections, his CDU/CSU alliance came first with 28.5% of the vote, but not enough to form a government on its own.
The AfD came second, but Merz has ruled out the possibility of cooperating with them.
