The Latest Breaking News from Friedrich Merz

Amid the gloom, the truth is dawning: the country faces hard political choices, and needs a more muscular approach to defence, says journalist and author John Kampfner

Support for Ukraine means that closer ties to Europe are now a patriotic priority, opening up avenues that Brexit had once blocked, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle

The lifelong Atlanticist was frank after his election victory: Nato is on the brink, and Germany must reassess its core beliefs on defence, says Jörg Lau, international correspondent for Die Zeit

Donald Trump has always been an avowed transactionalist rather than a transatlanticist. The author of The Art of the Deal made it clear during his first term as US president that he thought Nato was a bad deal for the US. He publicly berated European allies, notably Germany, for not…

THE INDEPEDENT DEBATE: As Trump’s approach to negotiations with Putin over the war in Ukraine raises security concerns, Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, has urged Europe to reduce its reliance on Nato and the US

The Labour leader faces a diplomatic balancing act as he heads over the Atlantic this week

Friedrich Merz, expected to be next chancellor, has spoken of urgent need for ramped-up defence, but ‘blocking minority’ could form in future Bundestag

The Government is set to join high-level discussions with the EU this week over a groundbreaking Europe-wide defense funding scheme.

Germany’s presumptive new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, faces challenges both at home and overseas following his conservative alliance’s election victory on Feb. 23, 2025.