Germany's leader calls on the US and Europe to 'repair and revive trans-Atlantic trust together'

MUNICH (AP) — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called connected Friday for the United States and Europe to “repair and revive trans-Atlantic spot together,” arguing that adjacent the U.S. isn't almighty capable to spell it unsocial successful an progressively pugnacious world.

Merz called for a “new trans-Atlantic partnership,” acknowledging that “a divide, a heavy rift” has opened up crossed the Atlantic arsenic helium opened the Munich Security Conference, an yearly gathering of apical planetary information figures including galore European leaders and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

At past year's conference, held a fewer weeks into U.S. President Donald Trump's 2nd term, Vice President JD Vance stunned European leaders by lecturing them astir the authorities of ideology and state of code connected the continent — a infinitesimal that acceptable the code for the past year.

A bid of statements and moves from the Trump medication targeting allies followed, including Trump's menace past period to enforce caller tariffs connected respective European countries successful a bid to unafraid U.S. power of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO state Denmark. The president aboriginal dropped that threat.

‘Stronger together’

“The civilization warfare of the MAGA question successful the U.S. is not ours,” Merz said. “The state of the connection ends present erstwhile this connection is turned against quality dignity and the constitution. And we don't judge successful tariffs and protectionism, but successful escaped trade.”

He added that Europe would basal by clime agreements and the World Health Organization “because we are convinced that we volition lone lick planetary tasks together.”

But Merz said Europe and the U.S. should reason that “we are stronger together" successful today's world. He argued that the post-World War II satellite bid “as imperfect arsenic it was astatine its champion times, nary longer exists" today.

“In the epoch of great-power rivalry, adjacent the United States volition not beryllium almighty capable to spell it alone,” helium said. “Dear friends, being a portion of NATO is not lone Europe's competitory advantage. It's besides the United States' competitory advantage, truthful let's repair and revive trans-Atlantic spot together.”

The Europeans, Merz said, are doing their part.

A ‘shift successful mindset’ successful Europe

Since past year’s Munich conference, NATO allies person agreed nether unit from Trump to a ample summation successful their defence spending target.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said determination has been a “shift successful mindset,” with “Europe truly stepping up, Europe taking much of a enactment relation wrong NATO, Europe besides taking much attraction of its ain defense.”

With Rubio heading the U.S. delegation this year, European leaders tin anticipation for a little contentious attack much focused connected accepted planetary information concerns.

Speaking arsenic helium introduced Merz, league president Wolfgang Ischinger asked: “does the Trump medication genuinely judge that it needs allies and partners and if truthful ... is Washington really prepared to dainty allies arsenic partners?”

Before departing for Germany connected Thursday, Rubio had immoderate reassuring words arsenic helium described Europe arsenic important for Americans.

“We’re precise tightly linked unneurotic with Europe,” helium told reporters. “Most radical successful this state tin hint both, either their taste oregon their idiosyncratic heritage, backmost to Europe. So, we conscionable person to speech astir that.”

But Rubio made wide it wouldn’t beryllium concern arsenic it utilized to be, saying: “We unrecorded successful a caller epoch successful geopolitics, and it’s going to necessitate each of america to reexamine what that looks like.”

Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the league that the U.S. had been sustaining the fiscal load of multilateralism for excessively agelong and Europeans request to bash more.

“There is simply a outgo to the presumption quo and the presumption quo was not sustainable immoderate more,” Waltz said.

Merz said that Europe's “excessive dependency” connected the U.S. was its ain fault, but it is leaving that behind. “We won't bash this by penning disconnected NATO — we volition bash it by gathering a strong, self-supporting European pillar successful the alliance, successful our ain interest,” helium said.

He acknowledged that Europe and the U.S. volition apt person to span much disagreements successful the aboriginal than successful the past, but “if we bash this with caller strength, respect and self-respect, that is to the vantage of some sides.”

Rubio arrived successful Munich connected Friday. He met Merz and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi separately connected the sidelines of the conference, and besides had a gathering scheduled with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen. He is owed to code the league connected Saturday morning.

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Moulson reported from Berlin. Associated Press newsman Claudia Ciobanu successful Warsaw, Poland, contributed to this report.

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