Germany’s Merz Warns NATO May Cease to Exist in Its Current Form
"I am not sure that we will still have NATO in this way in five or 10 years," Merz said at a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) event in Volkmarsen, Hesse — remarks that landed with particular weight given Germany's pivotal role within the alliance.
The Chancellor framed the threat not as inevitable, but as a consequence of complacency. Protecting Germany's national interests, he argued, means defending the institutional gains NATO has built over 75 years. Reflecting on last year's early elections, Merz stressed that decisions around defense spending had proven decisive — and that a different path could have proven catastrophic for the alliance.
"If we had not followed this path, the last NATO summit in The Hague would probably have been the final summit conducted in this way," he said, invoking repeated warnings from Washington.
Merz did not spare allies from pointed criticism, channeling longstanding American frustrations directly: "We are not ready to permanently guarantee your security while you trade worldwide, buying cheap Russian gas and affordable intermediate products from China."
Despite the sobering assessment, Merz struck a conciliatory tone toward Washington, confirming he would travel to the US for talks with President Donald Trump. "I will again tell Trump that the hand will continue to be extended. I want NATO to remain, as always, this Western alliance with America and Europe," he said.
On the war in Ukraine, Merz pushed back firmly against any framing that reduces the conflict to a bilateral territorial dispute. "This is a war against Europe's entire political order," he said. "That is why he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) is waging war against Ukraine."
The Chancellor also drew a firm line on the conditions for any diplomatic engagement with Moscow: "At least when we meet, the weapons must be silent."
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