Germany's Merz: Europe must become less dependent on United States

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday rejected a blistering attack on European democracies by the Trump administration, which issued a strategy paper last week declaring that the continent faced "civilizational erasure".

The U.S. National Security Strategy, made public last week, caused shock across Europe, with a broadside that accused European governments of "subversion of democratic processes" and said U.S. policy should include "cultivating resistance" within the European Union.

The language of the document echoed previous criticism of Europe from leading figures in the administration including Vice President J.D. Vance, and highlighted the growing strains between European capitals and Washington.

"Some of it is understandable, some of it is comprehensible, and some of it is unacceptable to us from a European perspective," Merz told reporters on a visit to the western German state of Rheinland-Pfalz.

"I see no need for the Americans to now want to save democracy in Europe. If it were necessary to save it, we would manage that on our own," he said.

Leaders including Merz have acknowledged that Europeans need to rebuild militaries that have withered after decades of neglect, leaving them heavily dependent on the U.S. military for their own defence.

But they have to tread a careful line between responding to the exceptionally harsh language from the administration and avoiding alienating their strongest ally.

"The question of what this means for our security cooperation is obviously the most important question," Merz said. "It confirms my assessment that we in Europe, and therefore also in Germany, must become much more independent from the U.S. in terms of security policy."

Merz said Trump, whose grandfather came from Germany, was expected to visit next year. "The invitation is there, of course," he said.