Merz publicly wonders if he could have handled Trump better, but doesn’t plan to change his style to be more “polished.”
Chris Lunday
He added: “I will not give up on the transatlantic relationship, and I will not give up on cooperation with Donald Trump.”
Merz on Sunday sought to play down the substance of the dispute, particularly the threat of a U.S. troop withdrawal, framing it as part of longer-running military planning rather than a sudden rupture.
“There is a contingent of American soldiers in Europe that [former U.S. President] Joe Biden stationed here on a temporary basis. Their withdrawal has been discussed for quite some time,” he said, noting that Washington frequently shifts its forces globally.
On military support, however, the picture is more uncertain. A 2024 U.S. commitment to supply long-range Tomahawk missiles to Germany — which have yet to be delivered — has not been renewed under Trump, raising concern in Europe about ongoing deterrence gaps against Russia.
“We had received a commitment from Joe Biden to deliver Tomahawk missiles. Donald Trump has not repeated that. He has not given us that commitment so far,” Merz said.
However, the chancellor suggested the issue may be less political than practical: “As I see it at the moment, there is objectively hardly any possibility from the U.S. side to provide such weapons systems.”
