German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says parts of the new US national security strategy are unacceptable from a European perspective, urging greater independence.
BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that parts of the new US national security strategy were “unacceptable to us from a European perspective”.
The strategy, unveiled last week, accused Europe of undermining political liberty and stifling free speech.
Merz said he saw no need for the US “to now want to save democracy in Europe”.
The document fleshes out President Donald Trump’s “America First” worldview.
It states the US will shift from its historic global role towards increasing dominance in Latin America and fighting migration.
It described Europe as over-regulated, censorious and facing “civilisational erasure” from migration.
Merz said he was “not surprised” by the content, adding that “some of it is comprehensible and some of it is understandable”.
The paper “confirms my assessment that we in Europe, and thus also in Germany, must become much more independent from the US in terms of security policy”, he added during a visit to Rhineland-Palatinate.
However, he urged the United States to continue working constructively with Europe.
Merz said he tells Americans that “‘America First’ is fine, but America Alone cannot be in your interest”.
“You also need partners in the world, and one of those partners can be Europe,” he said.
