In a speech at the Munich Security Conference, which is being held until Sunday (15) in the German city, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the United States, but also called for cooperation with Washington against common enemies.
According to information from CNN, Merz stated that “a division has opened up between Europe and the United States”, amid tensions due to American President Donald Trump’s idea of annexing Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.
“The United States’ claim to leadership [mundial] was contested and possibly lost”, said the chancellor, in the most incisive point of his statement.
Merz stated that “the MAGA culture wars in the US are not ours”, citing the English acronym for Make America Great Again, a catchphrase of Trump and his supporters.
“Freedom of expression, here [na Alemanha]ends where the words spoken are directed against human dignity and our fundamental principles”, added the German Chancellor, in a reference to disagreements with the USA regarding European measures to regulate social networks.
However, Merz lowered his tone by saying that Washington also needs help from Europe. “In the era of rivalry between great powers, not even the United States will be strong enough to go it alone,” he claimed. “Dear friends, being part of NATO is not only a competitive advantage for Europe, but also for the United States.”
In January, Trump announced that he would impose tariffs on imports from eight European countries (including Germany) that oppose his plan for the American annexation of Greenland.
Days later, Trump said that Washington and NATO agreed on the “structure” of an agreement regarding Greenland, but without detailing what this commitment would be.
For this reason, the Republican suspended the tariffs that would be applied from February. The EU has also suspended for now plans for a “trade bazooka” in response to Washington.
