BERLIN — Friedrich Merz, the front-runner to become Germany’s next chancellor, issued a stark warning on Friday that Europe must be prepare to defend itself without the U.S.
“We must prepare for the possibility that Donald Trump will no longer uphold NATO’s mutual defense commitment unconditionally,” Merz said in an interview with a German broadcaster on Friday. “That is why, in my view, it is crucial that Europeans make the greatest possible efforts to ensure that we are at least capable of defending the European continent on our own.”
In recent days, U.S. President Trump has appeared to increasingly align with Russian President Vladimir Putin, blaming Ukraine — not the Kremlin — for starting the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Those comments followed an appearance by U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference in which he depicted mainstream European parties — not Russia — as the greatest threat to European security.
European leaders have since grown increasingly worried that they can no longer rely on the U.S. and the NATO collective defense clause that have provided the foundation for Europe’s security since the Cold War.
Merz, the leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and in first place in opinion polls ahead of Sunday’s vote, said that Europe should collectively brace itself for the possibility that the Trump administration might not uphold NATO’s Article 5 committing alliance members to collective defense.
When asked whether he believes Trump will uphold the clause, Merz said: “I wouldn’t bet everything I have on any question I’m asked, and certainly not on this one.”
Asked whether Germany should seek protection under France’s nuclear umbrella, Merz acknowledged that French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly extended such an offer to Berlin — only for previous German governments to leave the question unanswered.
“We need to have discussions with both the British and the French — the two European nuclear powers — about whether nuclear sharing, or at least nuclear security from the U.K. and France, could also apply to us,” he said.
Nette Nöstlinger contributed reporting.
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