Amid a continuous barrage of new American interpretations of global law, along with threats and actions against unfriendly states, at least one leader has sought to show a mirror to US President Donald Trump. At the recently held Munich Security Conference (February 13–15), German Chancellor Friedrich Merz openly lambasted American policies and identified areas that need reworking to rekindle Europe–American ties.
THIS YEAR, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) focused on themes such as the erosion of the global rules-based order, Europe’s strategic autonomy, and the future of deterrence. The conference, themed “Under Destruction” in its flagship report, highlighted a world order in flux, with rising geopolitical tensions and uncertainty.
The event further underscored Europe’s growing assertiveness in shaping its security future, with women leaders playing a central role in advancing democratic values and transatlantic cooperation.
In a largely unpredicted outburst, Merz, while inaugurating the MSC, told other world leaders that “our freedom is not guaranteed” in an era of big-power politics and that Europeans must be ready to make “sacrifices”.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at MSC
The rules-based world order “no longer exists”, the German Chancellor warned, while admitting that “a deep divide has opened between Europe and the United States”, the BBC reported.
The MSC was hosted at a time when US commitments to the NATO military alliance have been called into question. Trump’s ambition to acquire Greenland has also been viewed by many European leaders as a watershed moment that has eroded trust in their biggest ally.
NATO Commitments and Europe’s Strategic Autonomy Under Scrutiny
The MSC deliberations were also overshadowed by the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war, tensions between the West and China, as well as the possibility of an Iran–US nuclear deal or war.
Merz told the conference: “I fear we must put it even more bluntly: this order (rules-based world order), however imperfect it was even at its best, no longer exists in that form.” He also identified “a rift, a deep divide, which has opened between Europe and the United States”, and which was referred to by American Vice-President JD Vance at last year’s MSC.
Merz also said, “He was right. The culture war of the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement is not ours. Freedom of speech ends here with us when that speech goes against human dignity and the constitution. We do not believe in tariffs and protectionism, but in free trade.”
Trump amid ongoing NATO policy tensions
However, Merz appealed directly to the US by saying, “Let’s repair and revive transatlantic trust”, instead of writing off the decades-long partnership. The German leader also revealed that “confidential talks” were ongoing with French President Emmanuel Macron on creating a joint European nuclear deterrent, though he gave no further details.
France and the UK are the only two nuclear powers in Europe, but Germany and many other European nations have traditionally relied on the US nuclear umbrella within the NATO alliance for deterrence.
Macron Calls for Europe to Become a Geopolitical Power
Addressing the MSC, French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his call for Europe to “learn to become a geopolitical power” in the new global context. He said Europe was already rearming following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but stressed that “we have to accelerate” and work collectively across the continent.
Describing the war in Ukraine as Europe’s “existential challenge”, the French leader urged others not to “cave in to Russian demands”, but rather to increase pressure on Moscow to achieve a just peace.
“We live in a new era in geopolitics, and it’s going to require all of us to re-examine what that looks like and what our role is going to be,” he said.
French President Macron calls for stronger European role
Tensions have been heightened in recent months between Europe and the US, as Trump has repeatedly said that Greenland is vital to US national security, stating without evidence that it was “covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place”.
On the other hand, with Europeans desperate for reassurance, the assembled leaders were also eager for any signs of transatlantic solidarity in US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech.
Nathalie Tocci, writing for The Guardian, says that the Secretary of State offered warm words celebrating the shared cultural heritage, history, and specifically the Christianity of the West.
He claimed that the US, a “child of Europe”, was not interested in managing Western decline but was instead determined to spearhead a Western civilisational renaissance.
But beneath the surface, Rubio’s speech this year and Vance’s in 2025 were two sides of the same coin. Vance’s was crude and outrageous, even silly.
Rubio’s speech was more subtle and coherent, but he essentially repeated the same thoughts: the message from Washington remains that Europe and the US should be defined by ethno-political values of culture, tradition, and religion. The fact that such history has also bred nationalism, racism, fascism, and colonialism is apparently nothing to be ashamed of.
Can Transatlantic Trust Be Rebuilt Amid Rising Geopolitical Tensions?
Merz, along with Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, Pedro Sánchez, and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, all spoke of the need for European independence, for giving substance to the EU treaty’s Article 42.7 — a pledge of mutual assistance in the event of an attack — and for a Europeanised NATO.
As von der Leyen put it, the lines that have been crossed cannot be uncrossed. Russia’s war on Ukraine — which approaches its fourth anniversary — has added a sense of urgency. So too has the sober reminder from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen that the US threat to Greenland has not gone away.
However, amid the currently evolving geopolitical tensions, primarily between Europe and the US, while European resolve and collective action will most likely continue, the real focus should be on working within existing transatlantic frameworks, especially NATO. This should indeed be a key strand of future work.
In fact, the UK and Italy both receive NATO commands from the US, signalling an important step toward establishing a European “pillar” within the transatlantic defence alliance. The US will remain critical in providing command and control, specialised capabilities and, above all, the nuclear umbrella.
Overall, Trump should realise that going ballistic over Europe and NATO will not serve American interests at all, and might even reduce American influence at the global level.
This could unexpectedly lead to a Europe that is confident in managing its own affairs instead of relying on a “big daddy” to solve its continental problems and assure its continued security commitment. This may even usher in a new era of European resurgence. 
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Asad Mirza
The author is a New Delhi-based senior commentator on national and international affairs, defence and strategic issues, and environmental concerns. He is also an interfaith practitioner and a media consultant. Previously, he was associated with the BBC Urdu Service and the Khaleej Times in Dubai.
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