Merz Declares End of Unconditional US Friendship

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the era of “unconditional transatlantic friendship” between Europe and the United States was probably over for the foreseeable future, according to Bloomberg.

Speaking to members of his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Berlin, Merz pointed to a significant shift in Washington’s approach to the transatlantic alliance under US President Donald Trump.

Merz made the remarks shortly before Berlin’s state election, contrasting the current relationship with the eras of US Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, when Washington emphasized exceptionally close ties with Germany.

Relations between the two countries have not been severed, however. On the same day, Merz spoke by phone with Trump and emphasized the “special bond” between Germans and Americans.

The two leaders also discussed the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.

(mja)