German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday rejected a scathing attack on European democracies by the Trump administration, which published a strategy paper last week declaring that the continent faces a ‘civilizational erasure’.
The US National Security Strategy, made public last week, sent shockwaves across Europe, with a critique accusing European governments of ‘subversion of democratic processes’ and saying US policy should include the ‘cultivation of resistance’ within the European Union.
The document’s language echoed previous criticisms of Europe from senior US government figures, including Vice President JD Vance, and highlighted growing tensions between European capitals and Washington.
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“Some of this is understandable, some of it is acceptable, and some of it is unacceptable for us from a European perspective,” Merz told reporters on a visit to the western German state of Rheinland-Pfalz.
‘I don’t see any need for Americans to want to save democracy in Europe now. If it were necessary to save her, we would do it on our own,’ he said.
Leaders like Merz have recognized that Europeans need to rebuild militaries that have languished after decades of neglect, leaving them too dependent on the US military for their own defense.
But they need to tread a careful line between responding to the government’s exceptionally tough language and avoiding alienating their strongest ally.
“The question of what this means for our security cooperation is obviously the most important question,” Merz said. ‘This confirms my assessment that we in Europe and therefore also in Germany need to become much more independent of the US in terms of security policy.’
Merz said Trump, whose grandfather came from Germany, is expected to visit the country next year. ‘The invitation exists, of course,’ he said.
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