Following his party’s first-place finish in the German federal elections on Sunday, Germany’s likely new chancellor (prime minister), Friedrich Merz, is emphasizing that his “absolute priority” is for “Europe” to gain “independence from the USA.” Merz likely means to increase the power of the European Union (EU) at the expense of its members’ national governments—which is generally EU supporters’ proposed solution to any given crisis.
“Americans, at least this part of the Americans, this administration, are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe,” Merz argued—despite the U.S. doing far more to assist Ukraine and to prop up NATO generally than Germany, which chronically neglects its defense spending obligations and enriched Russia via various energy deals for decades.
“I am very curious to see how we are heading toward the NATO summit at the end of June,” said Merz, suggesting that Europe may need to accelerate the establishment of a self-reliant defense capability if NATO’s future remains uncertain.
While the comments imply criticism of President Donald J. Trump, he may not have an issue with Europe—which has a far larger population than the U.S.—taking meaningful steps towards securing its own defense, with the continent’s overreliance on American largesse being a central sticking point for him.
Earlier this month, Vice President J.D. Vance publicly accused Europe of suppressing free speech during an address in Germany. Speaking to Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, following the summit, he stressed: “American troops do not sacrifice to protect censorship. They do not sacrifice in order to create a world where you get thrown in prison for posting an Internet meme. If you want American hard power to continue to support the so-called rules-based order, then you actually have to respect the values of the people who are sacrificing for that hard power.”
