Merz preparing plan to avoid clash with Trump at NATO summit — Bloomberg
Photo: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Getty Images)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to gather key European leaders ahead of the NATO summit. The goal is to develop a unified approach to US President Donald Trump and avoid new disputes within the Alliance, Bloomberg informs.
According to agency sources, a meeting of the leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Poland could take place in Berlin at the end of June. The NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, is also expected to be invited.
The participants are expected to prepare a package of measures aimed at demonstrating the European allies’ readiness to take greater responsibility for the defense of the continent and to strengthen NATO.
Why Europe is preparing talks with Trump
According to Bloomberg, the consultations are taking place amid increasingly sharp disagreements between the Trump administration and European allies.
The US president has repeatedly criticized NATO countries for insufficient defense spending and questioned partners’ willingness to meet their commitments. Tensions have further increased following the start of the US and Israeli military campaign against Iran.
European leaders, who were not involved in Washington’s decision-making on the conflict, largely declined to support the military operation.
Additional strain emerged between Trump and Merz. The German chancellor criticized US actions toward Iran, saying that American negotiators were being "humiliated" by their Iranian counterparts. After this, Trump announced the withdrawal of more than 5,000 US troops from Germany.
Preparing for the NATO summit
According to agency sources, defense ministers from the E5 countries are also set to hold a separate meeting in Paris. It is scheduled for June 12 and will form part of the preparations for the NATO summit, which will take place on July 7–8 in Ankara.
The talks are expected to focus on coordinating defense policy and possible changes to the command structure in case of further escalation of the security situation in Europe.
Differences between the US and Europe
In recent months, discussions between the US and its European allies have intensified over Washington’s future role in NATO. According to Spiegel, the US is planning a radical reduction of its military contribution to NATO and intends to shift a significant share of Europe’s defence responsibility onto European allies.
Within the Alliance, such changes have been described as a potential “turning point” that could push European countries to accelerate the buildup of their own military capabilities.
Despite the Trump administration’s strong rhetoric toward Europe, NATO does not see a crisis in relations with Washington.
Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone said that allies are already increasing defence spending and moving toward meeting new NATO targets, including raising defence expenditures to 5% of GDP.
At the same time, Welt am Sonntag reported that the United States may begin scaling down part of its military presence in Europe faster than allies expected.
According to the outlet, Washington is not planning a long transition period and aims to move as quickly as possible toward a model in which European states take primary responsibility for the continent’s conventional defence.
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