German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says the era of Germany's “unconditional transatlantic friendship” with the United States is probably over for the foreseeable future. His comments point to a changing relationship rather than a German break with Washington, with Merz simultaneously arguing for greater European independence and continued cooperation
INR Report: Based on reporting by RT HERE, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's wider position on transatlantic relations checked against German government statements and other reporting.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has declared that the period in which Germany could regard its friendship with the United States as effectively unconditional has probably ended.
Speaking at a Christian Democratic Union campaign event in Berlin on Thursday, Merz said: “The era of unconditional transatlantic friendship is probably over for the foreseeable future.”
He added that Germany was witnessing changes in political attitudes in the United States and in Washington's understanding of the transatlantic alliance that Europeans might previously have considered difficult to imagine. RT attributed the deterioration largely to disagreements between Merz and the Trump administration.
Merz's remarks have also been reported by other European media, with Germany's DW citing the German news agency DPA in reporting the same comments. (DW News)
Not the End of the Alliance
The statement is significant, but it should not be interpreted as Germany abandoning either the United States or NATO.
Only days earlier, on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Merz said Germany remained determined to work alongside the United States in defence of “freedom, democracy and respect.” The German government described the transatlantic partnership as having been renewed at the NATO summit in Ankara. (Bundesregierung)
Merz has nevertheless been developing a broader argument that Europe's relationship with Washington can no longer rest upon the assumptions that shaped the post-war period.
In an earlier major foreign-policy speech, the chancellor said a “deep rift” had emerged between Europe and the United States and that the transatlantic relationship had lost what he called its previous sense of inevitability.
His proposed response was not to abandon NATO, but to construct a stronger and more self-supporting European pillar within it. (Bundesregierung)
Disagreements With Washington
RT places Merz's latest remarks against a series of disagreements with President Donald Trump.
According to the report, these have included the Iran conflict, trade policy, immigration, European domestic politics and Trump's approach to Greenland.
RT reports that Merz criticised Washington's Middle East strategy earlier this year and subsequently said he no longer regarded the United States as the “land of opportunity.” The chancellor also reportedly said he would discourage his own children from travelling there for work or study.
The political disagreement has also extended into European domestic affairs.
Merz has objected to what he regards as US interference in German politics, while American officials have criticised aspects of Germany's political system and restrictions on political speech.
US Vice President J.D. Vance used his 2025 Munich Security Conference address to criticise European governments over free speech, migration and Germany's political “firewall” against cooperation with Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The disagreement exposes a deeper divide over how Washington and Berlin increasingly define democracy, political pluralism and freedom of expression.
Germany Wants Greater Strategic Independence
For Merz, the changing relationship with Washington is also an argument for Germany and Europe to assume more responsibility for their own defence.
“It was long overdue that we now take more responsibility for ourselves,” he said, according to RT.
That position is consistent with Merz's broader public strategy. Earlier this year he called for a stronger and more sovereign Europe while arguing that European countries had allowed themselves to become excessively dependent on the United States. (Bundesregierung)
Germany is consequently increasing defence expenditure while continuing to support Ukraine.
Merz has acknowledged that this is occurring while Germany faces significant economic difficulties. At a German wholesale and foreign trade industry gathering this week, he said the German economy needed to return to growth amid geopolitical crises and disruptions to international trade. (Bundesregierung)
A Relationship Being Rewritten
There is an important distinction between the political rhetoric surrounding the dispute and the institutional relationship itself.
Germany and the United States continue to cooperate closely in defence. On 16 September, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a declaration aimed at expanding cooperation between their defence industries. (DW News)
That development came almost simultaneously with Merz's increasingly critical language about Washington.
The result is a more complicated picture than a simple collapse of US-German relations.
Germany appears to be seeking greater European strategic autonomy while maintaining the security and military advantages of its American alliance.
Merz himself has previously described NATO as a competitive advantage for both Europe and the United States, arguing that a stronger European component could ultimately produce a healthier transatlantic partnership rather than destroy it. (Bundesregierung)
Does This Affect New Zealand?
The changing relationship between Washington and Berlin matters to New Zealand because it points to a broader transformation among the Western countries with which Wellington has traditionally aligned diplomatically, economically and strategically.
New Zealand maintains important relationships with the United States and European Union while operating in an Indo-Pacific region increasingly shaped by competition among the United States, China and other major powers.
If European governments become more willing to pursue strategic interests independently of Washington, New Zealand may increasingly encounter situations in which its traditional partners do not present a single Western position on trade, security, China, the Middle East or international institutions.
That does not necessarily weaken New Zealand's relationships with either Europe or the United States. It does, however, make an independent assessment of New Zealand's own interests increasingly important.
For a geographically distant trading nation, the lesson from Germany's debate is that alliances and friendships remain important, but they do not eliminate differences in national interests. New Zealand's challenge is therefore to maintain productive relationships with its partners while retaining sufficient diplomatic and economic independence to determine where its own interests lie.
Independent reporting. Original context. Credited sources.
Source
RT, “‘Unconditional’ friendship with US is over – Merz”, 18 September 2026.
Read the original RT report