"Merz underlined the continuing value of a NATO in which Europe will intensify its defense efforts, and said it will always seek cooperation with the United States - but not as a "subordinate." He also joined other European leaders in pushing back against U.S. President Donald Trump's assertion that troops from non-U.S. NATO countries avoided the front line during the war in Afghanistan."
""We are seeing increasingly clearly in the last few weeks that a world of great powers is beginning to form," Merz said. "A harsh wind is blowing in this world, and we will be feeling it for the foreseeable future." But that also opens opportunities for Europe, he said, as democracies with open and growing markets "seek what we have to offer them, namely partnerships on the basis of mutual respect, trust and reliability.""
"He emphasized the value of unity in the sometimes fractious 27-nation EU, saying the bloc had shown last week that it could act fast. "We agreed that we would not be intimidated again by tariff threats," he said. But he said that Europe also needs to "learn the language of power politics" to assert itself in a changing world, for example by taking greater responsibility for its security, striving f"
The European Union is framed as an alternative to imperialism and autocracy, able to forge partnerships with like-minded democracies amid rising great-power rivalry. Europe is urged to intensify defense efforts within NATO while seeking cooperation with the United States on an equal footing rather than as a subordinate. Claims that non-U.S. NATO troops avoided frontline roles in Afghanistan were rejected. Unity across the 27-nation EU enables rapid collective action, including resisting tariff threats. Europe must learn the language of power politics, take greater responsibility for its security, and offer a reliable, respectful partnership model.
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