Germany Chancellor-Elect Friedrich MerzLeader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union Party, said that his “absolute priority” will be to secure the top job to secure Europe so that “independence can achieve” from Washington.
“I would never have thought I should say something like that in a TV program, but afterwards Donald Trump’s Comments last week … It is clear that this government does not care much about the fate of Europe, “said Friedrich Merz on Sunday, according to several reports.
“My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible, so that we can reach the US independence step by step,” Merz added.
Trump celebrates the victory of the conservative party in Germany
Berlin, Germany – 24 February: Friedrich Merz, chairman of the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) and Chancellor candidate, is depicted during a press conference after the federal elections on 24 February 2025 in Berlin, Germany. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany wins the elections by around 28.5%. (Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty images)
The comments from the incoming Chancellor Die are described as an avid “transatlanticist”-are important because they can mean a great shift of the earlier relations after the Second World War between the US and Europe.
When talking about the upcoming NATO top in June, Merz suggested that NATO alliance “in its current form” is in danger and said European countries “a Independent European defense capacity Much faster, “the BBC reported.
Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, again confirmed the position of the US on NATO last week and said: “We fully support our NATO fellow people. We fully support the deployment of Article 5.”
“But it’s time for our European allies to perform,” he said and noticed The Trump government Repeated position in his requirement that European countries increase their defense expenditure.
But the concern has also been set up as to whether the US will draw troops stationed in Europe, especially after the Minister of Defense Pete Hegseeth said earlier this month that although he has no short-term plans to withdraw troops, NATO allies not the “The assumption must make that” not allowed to assume the presence of America will last forever. ”
On the third birthday of Ukraine -Vasia, European leaders show support, explicit unrest
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseeth holds his final conference at the end of the meetings of the ministers at the NATO head office on 13 February 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. High on the agenda for the Allies can be determined how the US intends to influence the route of the war in Ukraine. (Omar Havana/Getty images)
European leaders have increasingly demanded a united answer from the Trump administration in recent weeks about what her Strategy is when it comes to Russia.
Concerns escalated after Trump and Putin spoke last week, followed by a meeting between State Secretary Marco Rubio and his Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia, in which the government’s push to restore diplomatic ties was revealed.
Trump’s negative remarks against Ukrainian President Zenskyy have also led to the function of international anger and the position of Washington about achieving a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is expected to be an important topic of discussion this week as French President Emmanuel will be Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Travel to Washington to Washington met Washington Trump.
Merz, who seems to try to make Germany a top player again when it comes to geopolitics, on Monday emphasized his support for Ukraine.
TOPSHOT – French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for an informal top of European leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine and European Security in the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on February 17, 2025. European leaders would meet in Paris on 17 February 2025 to tackle Washington’s shock policy on the war in Ukraine, while Great -Britain itself It was declared to send peace groups to Ukraine. (Photo by Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty images)
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“Three years of the Russian War against (Ukraine). Three years of war in Europe,” he emphasized in X. “We have been accompanied by the terrible images of destruction and war crimes for three years. Europe stays firmly on the side of Ukraine.
“Now we have to put Ukraine into a power position more than ever. For a just peace, the attacked country must be part of peace negotiations,” said Merz.
