Merz 'not giving up' on Germany's relationship with US

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addressed the state of the bilateral relationship with the US on Sunday, in the wake of a public spat between him and President Donald Trump over the war in Iran. 

In an interview with German broadcaster ARD, Merz downplayed tensions between the two countries.

He said that Trump's announcement to pull 5,000 US troops from bases in Germany was not surprising and would not be seen as a retaliation, adding that it had "no connection" with recent disagreements.

What did Merz say about the transatlantic relationship?

"I am not giving up on working on the transatlantic relationship," Merz told the public broadcaster. "Nor am I giving up on working with Donald Trump." 

Merz was singled out by Trump, who scolded him for saying that Tehran was "humiliating" Washington at the negotiation table.

Trump accused Merz of "thinking it is okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon" and commenting that Germany was doing "so poorly, both economically and otherwise."

Trump's comments about Merz were followed by the announcement of troop reductions in Germany. On the same day, he announced an increase in tariffs on cars and trucks from the EU, a move that would hit Germany's economy the hardest.

German Chancellor Merz criticizes US over Iran war

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What does Merz think of the Iran war?

Merz is the latest European leader to be berated by Trump in response to disagreements over the Iran war. The US president has also feuded with Spain and the UK over the matter. 

But the German chancellor insisted that he still shared Trump's goal of ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, signaling that Germany is still aligned with US interests on that front.

"We have a different view of this war. That's no secret," Merz told ARD. "I'm not the only one who feels that way," he added.

"But that does not alter the fact that I remain convinced that the Americans are important partners for us, our most important partners in the North Atlantic alliance," Merz added.

US Tomahawks delivery to Germany unlikely, Merz says

Merz also appeared to confirm to ARD that a planned deployment of US long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Germany would be called off.

"As I see it at the moment, objectively speaking, there is hardly any possibility of the US supplying weapons systems of this kind," Merz said. "The Americans themselves don't have enough at the moment."

The Tomahawk delivery had been promised by former US president Joe Biden, amid a raft of measures taken at the time to secure against the Russian threat.

Merz said the wars in Iran and Ukraine were affecting the US supply, but he hinted that this was temporary and could change in the future.

US troop cuts, arms delays weaken European defense: expert

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Edited by: Rana Taha