Merz Urges Europe to Use Pressure to Forge Something Good

Saturday, February 14, 2026

Friedrich Merz has said Germany and its European allies must not shy away from the reality of the new global order

Posted by lamplighter at 09:30 PM | 4 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of Germany, said that under President Trump, the U.S.'s claim to global leadership "has been challenged, and possibly squandered." "The culture war of the MAGA movement is not ours," he said.

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-- The New York Times (@nytimes.com) Feb 13, 2026 at 10:20 AM

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More from the article ...

... Merz said European nations must "use the pressure we are facing to create something new, something good" as he firmly rejected "big power politics," which he said are "not an option for Germany" or Europe.

"Leadership in partnership, yes. Hegemonial fantasies, no," Merz said.

The chancellor also pointed to what his country has learned from when Nazi Germany occupied much of Europe.

"Never again will we Germans go it alone. This is the enduring lesson we have learned from our history. We assert our freedom with our neighbors " only with our neighbors, our allies and our partners." ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-02-13 06:58 PM | Reply

... as Pres Trump drives away our strong allies of 8 decades, to suck up to Pres Putin ....

#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-02-13 06:59 PM | Reply

PEDO DONNIE, the DEMENTIA SOCIETY POSTER CHILD

#3 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-02-13 10:08 PM | Reply

Friday's sessions provided a familiar mix of alarmism and contradiction. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared that the rules-based order "no longer exists," then vowed once again to build "the strongest conventional army in Europe."

wait haven't we heard that before?

#4 | Posted by john_savage2 at 2026-02-14 10:32 PM | Reply