German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday the new US National Security Strategy unveiled last week contained parts that were “unacceptable to us from a European perspective.”
Merz also said Europe needs to become less dependent on the United States, responding directly to Washington’s strategic shift.
What did Merz say about the US strategy shift?
While Merz rejected components of the US strategy, he also described it as unsurprising in substance, with the document roughly reflecting what US Vice President JD Vance already said in February at the Munich Security Conference.
“Some of it is plausible, some of it is understandable, and some of it is unacceptable for us from a European point of view,” Merz said of the US strategy. “I see no need for the Americans to now try to save democracy in Europe. If it needed saving, we would be able to handle that on our own,” he added.
Vance had accused Germany and other European allies of restricting freedom of expression and excluding parties such as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The strategy, unveiled last week, accused European governments of undermining political liberty and restricting free speech. Merz argued that such assessments fail to reflect the continent’s political realities.
Merz: Germany, Europe need more independence from US
Speaking during a visit to Rhineland-Palatinate, Merz said Washington’s shift had confirmed his view “that we in Europe, and therefore also in Germany, must become much more independent of the United States in security policy.”
Trump’s new US national security strategy rattles Europe
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In a message to the US, Merz said: “‘America first’ is fine, but ‘America alone’ cannot be in your interest. You need partners in the world, and one of those partners can be Europe. And if you cannot make use of Europe, then at least make Germany your partner,” Merz said.
The chancellor stressed that both sides share a common goal: “namely the preservation of freedom, security and peace on our continent.”
He added: “And I hope that the Americans will follow us on this path, and that they consider it right and necessary in their own interest. If that should not be the case, then we should at least be mentally — and one day also practically — prepared for that.”
What’s in the new National Security Strategy?
- The National Security Strategy defines Trump’s foreign-policy vision as “flexible realism.”
- The strategy takes a pessimistic view of Europe, warning of “civilizational erasure.”
- The administration stresses the need to restore “Western identity” in Europe.
- It states US strategic interests include quickly resolving the Ukraine conflict and re-establishing “strategic stability” with Russia.
- It calls for reviving the “Monroe Doctrine,” asserting the Western Hemisphere as a US zone of influence.
- The document flags concern over China’s growing economic influence in Latin America and frames countering it as a goal.
- In Asia, Trump seeks to deter conflict with China over Taiwan and the South China Sea by strengthening US and its allies’ military power.
Trump warns European allies ‘to be careful’
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Edited by: Louis Oelofse
