To address the uncertainty of coming geopolitical shifts, the chancellor urged European unity and stronger transatlantic ties.
As reported by The Guardian, Merz said the Russo–Ukrainian war “had forced Europe to return from a vacation from world history.” He emphasized the value of the E3 format — Germany, France, and the UK — and called for broader cooperation with Italy and Poland.
“In the long run, we will only be successful if we take the other Europeans on board, and we’re doing that for us Germans, there’s no way around it,” Merz said.
“We are at the heart of Europe. If Europe is torn apart, we are torn apart. Germany is torn apart.”
The chancellor also delivered a warning to Donald Trump, suggesting that the United States acting unilaterally “has reached the limits of its power and may already have lost its role as global leader,” the report adds.
“The culture war of the MAGA movement is not ours,” Merz addressed last year’s criticism of Europe by U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
“Freedom of speech ends here with us when that speech is directed against human dignity and the basic law. We do not believe in tariffs and protectionism, but in free trade. We stand by climate agreements and the World Health Organization.”
Addressing the U.S. delegation, Merz stressed that trust among allies has long been the source of NATO’s strength.
“In an era of great-power competition, even the United
States will not be powerful enough to act alone,” he said.
“Membership in NATO is not only a competitive advantage for Europe; it is also a competitive advantage for the United States. So let us rebuild and revive transatlantic trust together. We Europeans are doing our part.”
He also criticized Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, calling him an “elephant in the room,” because EU decision-making requires unanimity and Hungary continues to block most measures to support Ukraine.
“After the parliamentary elections in Hungary, which take place in April, I hope we can open new [accession negotiations] clusters and draw ever closer to Ukraine,” Merz said.
The Munich Security Conference runs Feb. 13–15. President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Germany for the event and plans to discuss a
first joint Ukrainian–German drone venture as well as bilateral and
multilateral meetings. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Feb. 12 he
planned to meet Zelenskyy at the conference.