Frankfurt (Germany), 1 July (LaPresse) – “Together we defend European interests. That is also why Giorgia Meloni was here in Berlin last week.” This was stated by the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, at a joint press conference with the NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, and the German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, in Berlin, whilst answering questions on relations with US President Donald Trump. Merz emphasised that “there is no contradiction” between strengthening the Alliance’s European pillar and cooperation with Washington. “NATO must become more European in order to remain transatlantic,” Merz added, reiterating that the increase in European military spending is not the result of pressure from the White House. Finally, Merz called for a relationship between allies based on equality: “We engage with the US administration on an equal footing. The United States is one of NATO’s 32 members, and we too are one of the 32 members. We will go to the summit with confidence. We will not say: ‘You depend on us’ or ‘We depend on you’. Instead, we will say: ‘We depend on one another. Together, we are able to ensure our own defence’.”
NATO, Merz: “With Meloni we defend European interests; with the US, we engage as equals”
Frankfurt (Germany), 1 July (LaPresse) – “Together we defend European interests. That is also why Giorgia Meloni was here in Berlin last week.” This was stated by the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, at a joint press conference with the NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, and the German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, in Berlin, whilst answering questions on relations with US President Donald Trump. Merz emphasised that “there is no contradiction” between strengthening the Alliance’s European pillar and cooperation with Washington. “NATO must become more European in order to remain transatlantic,” Merz added, reiterating that the increase in European military spending is not the result of pressure from the White House. Finally, Merz called for a relationship between allies based on equality: “We engage with the US administration on an equal footing. The United States is one of NATO’s 32 members, and we too are one of the 32 members. We will go to the summit with confidence. We will not say: ‘You depend on us’ or ‘We depend on you’. Instead, we will say: ‘We depend on one another. Together, we are able to ensure our own defence’.”
