Merkel Dissatisfied with Trump’s Positions at NATO Summit

One of Europe’s most influential leaders, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, has decided after three days of trans-Atlantic meetings that President Donald Trump is not a partner that Germany can rely on in the future.

Merkel was dissatisfied with Trump’s positions on Russia, climate change, and NATO. The Chancellor made a statement this past Sunday urging that traditional alliances are no longer as reliable as they once were. She claims that Europe should “really take our fate into our own hands” and should pay more attention to its own interests in the coming years.

After the NATO Summit meeting in Brussels, and the Group 7 meeting in Italy this past week, Merkel stated that “The times in which we could rely fully on others- they are somewhat over.” The German leader’s particularly strong comments following the summit may cause a transition in overseas relations. Germany has become increasingly powerful in a partnership with France recently, as the U.S. has become less interested in intervening in overseas matters.

Emmanuel Macron, the new French President, has demonstrated a willingness to work with German leaders. Merkel has made it clear that she views Germany as being part of the European Union of 27 nations in the future with the absence of Britain, after the country voted to exit the European bloc.

Ivo H. Daalder, former U.S. envoy to NATO and current director of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs says that, “This seems to be an end of an era, one in which the United States led and Europe followed.” Merkel’s recent push for the need of Europe to hold its own interests comes directly after Trump declined to endorse NATO’s doctrine of collective defense. Trump also did not agree with European positions on global trade, which dealt with the effects of climate change, as well as Russian Aggression in Europe.

While Merkel did not identify Trump by name, she also spoke of Britain’s choice to exit the European Union. This means that the union will lose it’s second largest economy, a nuclear power, and it’s strongest trans-Atlantic tie.

In her statement on Sunday, Merkel seemed as though she was preparing German voters to get accustomed with a more active Europe. She is currently seeking her fourth term as Chancellor of Germany in the upcoming September elections.

Daalder argues that, “This is ‘America First’ – a policy focused on narrow self interest- abandons the idea that the best way to enhance our security and prosperity is by having strong allies and leading globally in pursuit of common values and interests.”

Merkel was particularly discontent with the U.S. president’s refusal to support language endorsing free trade and backing the Paris Climate accord in the Group 7 declaration. It has been reported that Trump wants to abandon the 195 nation climate deal agreed upon in 2015 because it is a burden on the American economy. This was the greatest sign of separation between the U.S. and it’s allies at Brussels. Merkel has since said that, “The whole discussion about climate was very difficult, not to say unsatisfactory”.

Daalder has said that the current president’s “failure to endorse Article 5 in speech as NATO’s Quarters, continued lambasting of Germany and other allies on trade, his apparent decision to walk away from the Paris climate agreement- all suggest that the United States is less interested in leading globally then has been the case for the last 70 years”.

Featured Image via WikiMedia Commons