According to a report, on the 23rd local time, the German Union Party's candidate for chancellor, Merz, questioned whether NATO would remain in its 'current form' before the June summit, given the recent relevant remarks from the US President Trump's administration. In addition, he also said that Europe must build an independent defense capability as soon as possible.
Germany held a new round of federal parliamentary elections on February 23 to determine the new chancellor. Preliminary vote - counting results announced by the German Federal Election Commission early on the 24th local time showed that the Union Party, composed of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union, led in votes and won the election.
After the Union Party's victory in the German general election, Merz told German media, 'I never thought I'd say this on a TV show, but after Donald Trump's remarks last week... it's clear that this (US) government doesn't really care about Europe's fate.'
The report added that the Trump administration told European allies last week that Europe must take care of its own security and reduce its dependence on the United States. Meanwhile, the US also announced talks with Russia to end the Russia - Ukraine conflict without involving Europe.
When talking about the NATO summit scheduled for June, Merz said he wondered 'whether we'll still be talking about NATO in its current form at that time, or whether we have to build an independent European defense capability more quickly.'
Previously, on the 20th local time, Merz expressed his concerns about the Trump administration during a campaign event. Merz said at that time, 'Every moment we can see the consequences of Trump's re - election. The rift between the two sides of the Atlantic is getting deeper. Europe should hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Europeans must now take the security of the European continent into their own hands because the US commitment to Europe's security will no longer be guaranteed.'
