The leader of Germany’s CDU party and the most likely candidate for the position of German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, stated that he is not certain NATO will remain in its current form. Answering journalists' questions, he suggested that Europe might need to establish its own military alliance independent of the U.S., according to the Telegram channel "Radio Svoboda".
He also said that Germany can no longer rely on the protection of the American army’s "nuclear umbrella" and that negotiations must be held with the United Kingdom and France to expand their nuclear support for other European countries.
At the same time, Merz noted that Germany must strengthen its own army.
Merz’s statement followed remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he does not see Ukraine joining NATO in the foreseeable future and also does not consider russia a threat to the alliance’s countries. It also came after a harsh speech by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference, where Vance criticized the state of democracy in European Union countries and made it clear that Europe would no longer enjoy the unconditional support of the U.S.
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the creation of a unified European armed force. According to Zelensky, the continent must be self-sufficient in the face of the constant threat from russia and uncertainty about U.S. support—a situation he referred to as the "new reality".