In recent times, European leaders have become increasingly anxious about their dependency on the United States and the NATO collective defense clause, which has served as the bedrock of Europe’s security since the Cold War.
Merz, who leads the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and holds the top position in opinion polls leading up to Sunday’s vote, stated that Europe should prepare itself for the possibility that the Trump administration may not uphold NATO’s Article 5, which commits members to mutual defense.
When questioned on whether he trusts Trump to honor the clause, Merz replied, “I wouldn’t wager everything I possess on any question posed to me, especially not this one.”
When asked if Germany should consider seeking protection under France’s nuclear umbrella, Merz recognized that French President Emmanuel Macron has frequently extended such an offer to Berlin, yet previous German administrations have left the matter unresolved.
“We need to engage in discussions with both the British and the French — the two European nuclear powers — to determine if nuclear sharing, or at least nuclear security from the U.K. and France, could be applicable to us as well,” he mentioned.
Nette Nöstlinger contributed reporting.
