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In a speech at the Munich Security Conference, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on the United States and Europe to “jointly repair and restore transatlantic trust.”
Mertz opened his remarks Friday at an annual gathering of world security leaders with a appeal for unity, arguing that the United States also benefits from its role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
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The statement contrasted with comments made last year by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who used his appearance at an event just weeks after taking office to slam European leaders for pledging funding to NATO and criticize the state of the continent’s democracies.
“Let’s start with an unpleasant truth: There is a rift, a deep chasm, between Europe and the United States,” Merz said.
“Vice President J.D. Vance said this a year ago here in Munich, and he was right,” Merz said, calling for a “new transatlantic partnership.”
Mertz also referenced President Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, saying, “The culture war of the MAGA movement is not ours,” and warned that Europe does not need to move in the same political direction as the United States.
He appealed directly to the Trump administration, saying, “In this era of great power competition, even the United States is not strong enough to go it alone.
“Being part of NATO is not only a competitive advantage for Europe; it’s a competitive advantage for the United States. So let’s repair and restore transatlantic trust together. Europe is doing its part.”
“A new era of geopolitics”
It remained unclear how receptive Washington would be to this message after a year of confrontational policy that has rattled traditional European allies.
These include increased pressure to increase funding for NATO, Russia’s whiplash to end the war in Ukraine, and President Trump’s threat to seize Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO member Denmark.
The administration also reiterated what it called Europe’s “civilizational self-confidence and Western identity,” calling on countries on the continent to block immigration while accusing them of suppressing right-wing voices.
Critics say the message has racist overtones.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who departed for Germany late Thursday, said the US was “very closely tied to Europe,” adding: “Most people in this country can trace their cultural heritage, their personal heritage, back to Europe. So we’re just going to talk about that.”
“We’re living in a new era in geopolitics, and we’re all going to have to reexamine what that looks like,” said Rubio, who is scheduled to speak Friday.
The visit comes as President Trump’s Republican Party prepares for November’s midterm elections, which will determine control of the U.S. House and Senate.
Recent polls suggest support for Mr. Trump is declining on several domestic issues, including tough immigration policies.
Polls also show voters are uneasy about Trump’s actions abroad, including the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces and Trump’s push to take control of Greenland.
Seven in 10 American adults disapprove of President Trump’s handling of the Greenland crisis, according to a new poll released Friday.
This percentage is higher than the overall disapproval rate for President Trump’s foreign policy approach.
“Europe’s Nuclear Deterrence”
German Chancellor Merz also confirmed in a speech on Friday that he was in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron about “Europe’s nuclear deterrent.”
Calls for a so-called European “nuclear umbrella” are gaining new momentum as the United States makes a major strategic shift away from Europe.
Under existing NATO arrangements, U.S. nuclear weapons stationed in Europe could be deployed by allied aircraft in an emergency. US nuclear bombs are believed to be stored in northern Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and western Germany.
Germany, on the other hand, is required to renounce the production, possession and control of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons as part of the 1990 agreement on national reunification.
Merz said the new policy would be in line with Berlin’s legal commitments.
Following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU in 2020, France became the only nuclear-armed state in the EU.
