Still harboring illusions about Trump? German Chancellor Merz: Europe should not rush to abandon transatlantic relations

On January 22, German Chancellor Merz warned at the Davos World Economic Forum that Europe should not rashly abandon the transatlantic partnership, emphasizing that the strategic trust relied upon by NATO is of key significance to both the US and Europe in the "era of great-power competition."

This statement comes as US President Trump suddenly shifted his position on the Greenland issue. According to Xinhua News Agency, on the 21st, President Trump posted on social media that he had agreed with NATO Secretary General Rutte on a framework for a future agreement concerning Greenland, and therefore would not implement the tariffs on eight European countries originally set to take effect on February 1st.

According to CCTV News, Merz welcomed President Trump’s change of stance on the Greenland issue, calling it "a step in the right direction." Merz emphasized:

"The new tariffs would undermine the foundation of the transatlantic relationship. If these tariffs are implemented, Europe's response will be united, calm, appropriate, and strong."

Merz stressed that this basis of trust is the "decisive competitive advantage" for both the US and Europe, and urged not to rashly abandon this strategic asset. He noted:

"We Europeans, we Germans know how precious the trust that NATO relies on is. In the era of great powers, the United States will also rely on this trust. This is their, and also our, decisive competitive advantage."

Previously, Trump had threatened to exert pressure on Greenland through tariffs and other means, causing transatlantic relations to become tense for a time. However, on Wednesday his stance shifted noticeably, not only dropping the tariff threat but also ruling out the possibility of using force.

Last week, Germany was one of seven European countries to send a small number of military personnel to Greenland. At the time, Denmark stated it was continuing to push forward plans to establish a larger, more regular NATO presence on the island to strengthen regional security deployment.

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