29 May, 2017
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her experience at recent global summits featuring US President Donald Trump showed her Europe can't "completely" rely on the United States and other longstanding allies.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel believes Europe can no longer completely depend on the U.S. and United Kingdom, saying it should be prepared to "take its fate into its own hands".
Her belief that the United States is no longer a reliable partner is a direct result of Trump's words and actions.
The group managed to agree on the wording of goals for trade, but Trump was the lone holdout when it came to agreeing on policies to combat climate change.
After the meetings of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the G7 group of wealthy nations, Merkel told a packed beer tent in Munich that the days when Europe could completely rely on others were "over to a certain extent".
"We need to know we must fight for our own future, as Europeans, for our destiny", Merkel said.
Clarifying Ms Merkel's position on Monday, her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said she was a "deeply convinced Atlanticist".
"[It is] precisely because they are so important, it's right to name differences honestly", he added. "I have experienced this in the last few days". "Trump accelerates it, but it was to be expected".
Merkel is seeking a fourth term as chancellor ahead of parliamentary elections in September.
Daalder said, "This is "America First"-a policy focused on narrow self-interest-and 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". But anyone who puts on national blinkers and has no view of the world around him will ultimately get lost".
The American tycoon-turned-president backed a pledge to fight protectionism at the end of the G7 summit on Saturday, but refused to endorse the climate pact, saying he needed more time to decide. "And above all else, we must not submit to Trump's arms-race logic".
She created such a debacle the United Kingdom left the European Union and many other countries may follow. "I will make my final decision on the Paris Accord next week!"
US President Donald Trump's actions have "weakened" the West, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said today, while also charging that Trump's "short-sighted" policies hurt European Union interests.
"Not talking about the real human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia, it's nearly like reducing America from the light and hope in the world to just a utilitarian kind of transactional relationship", he said.
"I've never seen her in 12 years give up on anything", she said. Although Merkel has recently hinted that such concessions might be possible, they will be controversial with other German politicians (including senior members of her party) and perhaps with the German public.
