Friedrich Merz, the man set to become Germany’s next chancellor, has said Europe may have to establish an “independent” defense capability due to American indifference “to the fate of Europe.”
Merz’s remarks came after his conservative Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) bloc won first place in the German parliamentary elections on Sunday, securing 28.6% of the vote, making him the likely candidate to lead Europe’s largest economy.
However, the election also saw a significant rise in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which surged to a historic second-place finish with 20.8% of the vote.
Speaking on Sunday evening, Merz warned that the longstanding alliance between Europe and the U.S. might be nearing its end, arguing that President Donald Trump’s administration is indifferent about the fate of the continent.
He said: “I never thought I would have to say something like this on a television program. But after Donald Trump’s statements last week at the latest, it is clear that the Americans, at least this part of the Americans, this administration, are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe.”
Last week, the Trump administration caused concern among European allies by telling them they must take care of their own security and rely less on the United States while announcing talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, which included neither Kyiv nor Europe.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Europeans that “stark strategic realities” would prevent the U.S. from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.
Referring to a NATO summit scheduled for June, Merz said he was curious to see “whether we will still be talking about NATO in its current form then or whether we will have to establish an independent European defense capability much more quickly.”
Merz suggested that Berlin might need to become less reliant on the U.S. with regard to their nuclear umbrella and advocated talks with Europe’s nuclear powers, France and Britain, about an expansion of their nuclear protection.
Piotr Buras, head of the Warsaw Office at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told TVP World: “Merz knows it very well and he declared it yesterday after the election results that Europe needs to become more independent from the U.S., that the security interests of U.S. and Europe are no longer as aligned as they were in the past.”
He added that, despite being a committed transatlanticist who wants to strengthen U.S.-Europe ties, Merz recognizes that “a major reshuffling of transatlantic relations is necessary.”
“How he [Merz] will do that is an open question because that would require from Germany a major rethinking of Germany’s foreign security policy but also financial policy, including the common European debt,” Buras said.
However, the election also saw a significant rise in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which surged to a historic second-place finish with 20.8% of the vote.
Speaking on Sunday evening, Merz warned that the longstanding alliance between Europe and the U.S. might be nearing its end, arguing that President Donald Trump’s administration is indifferent about the fate of the continent.
He said: “I never thought I would have to say something like this on a television program. But after Donald Trump’s statements last week at the latest, it is clear that the Americans, at least this part of the Americans, this administration, are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe.”
Last week, the Trump administration caused concern among European allies by telling them they must take care of their own security and rely less on the United States while announcing talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, which included neither Kyiv nor Europe.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Europeans that “stark strategic realities” would prevent the U.S. from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.
Referring to a NATO summit scheduled for June, Merz said he was curious to see “whether we will still be talking about NATO in its current form then or whether we will have to establish an independent European defense capability much more quickly.”
Merz suggested that Berlin might need to become less reliant on the U.S. with regard to their nuclear umbrella and advocated talks with Europe’s nuclear powers, France and Britain, about an expansion of their nuclear protection.
Piotr Buras, head of the Warsaw Office at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told TVP World: “Merz knows it very well and he declared it yesterday after the election results that Europe needs to become more independent from the U.S., that the security interests of U.S. and Europe are no longer as aligned as they were in the past.”
He added that, despite being a committed transatlanticist who wants to strengthen U.S.-Europe ties, Merz recognizes that “a major reshuffling of transatlantic relations is necessary.”
“How he [Merz] will do that is an open question because that would require from Germany a major rethinking of Germany’s foreign security policy but also financial policy, including the common European debt,” Buras said.
Creating unity in Europe
The CDU leader also compared the Trump administration’s actions to those of Moscow, pointing to American billionaire Elon Musk, a key member of Trump’s cabinet, who endorsed AfD in the German election.
He said: “Just look at the recent interventions in the German election campaign by Mr. Elon Musk—that is a unique event.
“The interventions from Washington were no less dramatic and drastic and ultimately outrageous than the interventions we have seen from Moscow.”
Merz added: “We are under such massive pressure from two sides that my absolute priority now really is to create unity in Europe.”
Commenting on the ongoing U.S.-Russia talks on Ukraine, Merz said: “I am not sure what the American government’s position on this war will be in the coming weeks and months. My impression over the last few days is that Russia and America are coming together here, over the heads of Ukraine and therefore also over the heads of Europe.”
Merz, a staunch transatlanticist, has been more hawkish against Russia than the acting Chancellor Olaf Scholz, suggesting he might send medium-range Taurus missiles to Kyiv, something Scholz has strictly rejected.
Despite Merz's CDU finishing first in Sunday’s vote, the party now faces protracted coalition talks.
Mainstream parties have ruled out forming a coalition with the AfD, which remains under surveillance by German security services for suspected extremism.
That means Merz will have to negotiate with Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), which finished third, to form a coalition in talks that are likely to take months following a bruising campaign that highlighted policy difference.
He said: “Just look at the recent interventions in the German election campaign by Mr. Elon Musk—that is a unique event.
“The interventions from Washington were no less dramatic and drastic and ultimately outrageous than the interventions we have seen from Moscow.”
Merz added: “We are under such massive pressure from two sides that my absolute priority now really is to create unity in Europe.”
Commenting on the ongoing U.S.-Russia talks on Ukraine, Merz said: “I am not sure what the American government’s position on this war will be in the coming weeks and months. My impression over the last few days is that Russia and America are coming together here, over the heads of Ukraine and therefore also over the heads of Europe.”
Merz, a staunch transatlanticist, has been more hawkish against Russia than the acting Chancellor Olaf Scholz, suggesting he might send medium-range Taurus missiles to Kyiv, something Scholz has strictly rejected.
Tricky coalition talks ahead
Despite Merz's CDU finishing first in Sunday’s vote, the party now faces protracted coalition talks.
Mainstream parties have ruled out forming a coalition with the AfD, which remains under surveillance by German security services for suspected extremism.
That means Merz will have to negotiate with Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), which finished third, to form a coalition in talks that are likely to take months following a bruising campaign that highlighted policy difference.
More In Politics MORE...
