Potential German Chancellor on NATO: "I didn't think I'd have to say something like that..."

The potentially next German Chancellor Friedrich Merz doubted that NATO would remain in its "current form" in light of comments by the administration of US President Donald Trump. It is reported by Reuters.

"I would never have thought that I would have to say something like that on a TV show, but after Donald Trump's comments last week... it became clear that this government does not care too much about the fate of Europe," Merz told German public broadcaster ARD after his conservatives won the national elections.

Last week, the Trump administration shocked European allies by saying that they should take care of their own security and rely less on The United States, as well as announcing negotiations without involving Europe.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also warned Europeans that "harsh strategic realities" will not allow the US to focus primarily on the security of Europe. Speaking about the NATO summit scheduled for June, Merz said he was interested to know "whether we will then continue to talk about NATO in its current form or whether we will have to create an independent European defense capability much faster."

On Friday, Merz told the ZDF public television channel that Germany would have to come to terms with the possibility that Trump would not fully comply with NATO's mutual defense obligations.

The politician is confident that Berlin may have to become less dependent on the United States in terms of its nuclear potential, and spoke in favor of negotiations with the nuclear powers of Europe (France and Great Britain) about the expansion of general protection. Merz also took a tougher stance against Russia than the current Chancellor Olaf Scholz, suggesting that Taurus medium-range missiles could be sent to Kiev during his reign.