At a key security gathering, the German Chancellor cautioned that the rules-based world order “no longer exists”.Friedrich Merz, opening the annual Munich Security Conference, warned fellow world leaders that “our freedom is not guaranteed” in an era of big power politics, and that Europeans must be willing to make “sacrifice.”
He also recognised that “a deep divide has opened between Europe and the United States”. The summit takes place against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump challenging Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland by proposing to acquire the Arctic territory and imposing taxes on European imports.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was listening to Merz and will deliver his own speech on Saturday, had spoke of a “new era in geopolitics”. This year’s meeting, which will examine European defence and the future of the transatlantic alliance, is expected to draw over 50 world leaders.
It comes at a time when the United States’ commitment to the NATO military alliance is being questioned. Many European leaders see Trump’s desire to buy Greenland as a watershed moment that has undermined confidence with its most important ally.
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