German elections: Merz signals need for ‘independence’ from US
Friedrich Merz, who is set to become the new German chancellor, has vowed to prioritise European unity and “independence” from the US.
The snap German election, which saw the Conservative CDU/CSU alliance win with 28.6 per cent of the vote, came as Europe grapples with US President Donald Trump and Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Merz, 69, is now set to lead Germany and expected to form a joint government, as per the European nation’s ‘majority coalition’ political system, but has ruled out working with the far-right Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party, which secured 20.8 per cent of the vote.
And he has signalled a shift in Germany’s – and Europe’s – relationship with the US, after a turbulent start to Trump’s second administration saw the US leader falsely brand Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” and wrongly claim the country “started” the war.
Speaking during a post-election TV debate on Sunday, after exit poll results were declared, Merz stated: “I would never have thought that I would have to say something like this in a TV show but, after Donald Trump’s remarks last week… it is clear that this government does not care much about the fate of Europe.
“My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA.”
Addressing party supporters, Merz also said: “I have no illusions at all about what is happening from America. Take a look at the recent interventions in the German election campaign by Mr Elon Musk.”
He added that “the interventions from Washington were no less dramatic and drastic and ultimately outrageous than the interventions we have seen from Moscow.
“So we are under such massive pressure from two sides that my absolute priority now is really to create unity in Europe.”
Ahead of separate visits by French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Washington this week, Merz also suggested that the United States was “largely indifferent” to the fate of Europe, and referenced a NATO summit set to be held in June.
But he added that it was questionable “whether we will still be talking about NATO in its current form or whether we will have to establish an independent European defence capability much more quickly”.