It Will Be Necessary to Create an Armed Alliance Independent of the US: Friedrich Merz

The leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the most likely candidate for Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, stated on February 23, following the CDU/CSU alliance's victory in the Bundestag elections, that he is not confident NATO will remain in its current form.

Merz mentioned that Europe will need to establish its own armed alliance independent of the United States. He also noted that Germany can no longer rely on the US military's 'nuclear umbrella' for protection, emphasizing the need to engage in negotiations with the United Kingdom and France to expand their nuclear support to other European nations.

At the same time, Merz stressed that Germany must strengthen its own military.