A day after holding talks at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized several U.S. senators for their lack of understanding regarding Russia’s military buildup.
“I met with some senators on Capitol Hill and told them to take a serious look at the scale of Russia’s rearmament. It’s clear they have no idea what’s happening right now,” Merz said, according to Reuters, without naming specific senators.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has shifted its defense industry to 24-hour production and signed arms deals with North Korea and Iran. This has led European officials to warn that Russia may soon reach the capacity to launch direct attacks on NATO territory.
Although Russia denies having such intentions, it continues to claim that its actions in Ukraine are part of a “special military operation” meant to protect its own security from what it calls a hostile and aggressive West.
Merz, a conservative who came to power in May, is the latest European leader to visit Trump. He aims to convince the U.S. to maintain its support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and to continue safeguarding European security through the NATO alliance.
