Germany’s Merz cautions that the global rules-based order has effectively collapsed
The German Chancellor stated at a major security summit that the rules-based world order no longer exists.
Opening the annual Munich Security Conference, Friedrich Merz told other world leaders that in this era of great power politics, “our freedom is no guarantee,” and that Europeans must be prepared to make “sacrifices.”
He also acknowledged that “a deep chasm has developed between Europe and the United States.”
The conference comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has threatened Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland by promising to annex Arctic territory and imposing tariffs on imports from European countries.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was listening to Merz and will deliver his speech on Saturday, previously spoke of “a new era in geopolitics.”
This year’s conference is expected to draw around 50 world leaders, where discussions will focus on European defense and the future of transatlantic relations.
This comes at a time when questions have been raised about the US commitment to the NATO military alliance. Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland is also seen by many European leaders as a turning point, eroding trust with their largest ally.
Trump told reporters outside the White House on Friday: “Greenland would like us… We have a very good relationship with Europe. Let’s see how it works out. We’re currently negotiating Greenland.”
The Russia-Ukraine war, tensions between the West and China, and a potential Iran-US nuclear deal are also on the agenda for this annual meeting.
Referring to numerous warnings about the demise of the rules-based order, Merz said at the conference, “I fear we have to say it even more bluntly: this system, no matter how imperfect it may have been at its best, no longer exists.”
He also said that “a rift, a deep division, has emerged between Europe and the United States. Vice President J.D. Vance made this clear in Munich a year ago.”
Merz continued: “He was right. The MAGA [Make America Great Again] movement’s culture war is not ours. Freedom of speech ends when it goes against human dignity and the Constitution. We believe in free trade, not tariffs and protectionism.”
Last year, Vance attacked Europe, including the UK, for its policies on free speech and immigration. His speech sparked a year of transatlantic tensions at a level never seen before.
But Merz did not end the decades-old partnership, instead appealing directly to the US, saying, “Let’s repair and revive transatlantic trust.”
The German leader also revealed that “confidential talks” are underway with French President Emmanuel Macron to create a joint European nuclear deterrent. He did not provide any further details.
France and the UK are the only two nuclear powers in Europe—but Germany and many other European countries have traditionally relied on the US nuclear umbrella within the NATO alliance for deterrence.
Addressing the conference later on Friday, Macron reiterated his call for Europe to “learn to be a geopolitical power” in the new global environment.
He said that Europe is already rearming after Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine in 2022—but he stressed that “we must accelerate” and work together across the continent.
Calling the war in Ukraine an “existential challenge” for Europe, the French leader urged others not to “give in to Russia’s demands”—but to increase pressure on Moscow to achieve a just peace.
Ahead of the Munich conference, Rubio warned that “the world is changing very quickly before us” when asked if his message to Europeans would be more conciliatory than Vance’s a year ago.
He said, “We are living in a new era of geopolitics, and we all have to rethink what that looks like and what our role will be.”
Tensions have escalated in recent months as Trump has repeatedly stated that Greenland is vital to US national security and has stated, without evidence, that it is “covered everywhere by Russian and Chinese ships.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said earlier in the day that she plans to meet with Rubio to discuss US threats to take Greenland away from its NATO ally.
