Friedrich Merz

Rule Changes

Hosting Berlin talks and a follow-on summit with European leaders

Zelensky just did something he once treated as untouchable: he offered to drop Ukraine's NATO bid. Not as surrender, but as a trade—Kyiv gives up the alliance path, and the West gives Ukraine legally binding protection strong enough to scare Moscow off for good.

Updated Yesterday

Force in Play

Attended April 17 Paris summit; diverged from Macron by seeking US involvement in coalition; Germany 'ready to contribute' but prefers UN mandate

Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, 2026, after US-Israeli strikes, cutting off roughly a fifth of global oil supply. The US-Iran ceasefire, extended by Trump on April 21, holds formally — but Iran's May 10 counter-proposal demanded Iranian sovereignty over the strait, an end to all US sanctions, and an immediate lifting of the naval blockade. Trump called the response "totally unacceptable," and roughly 1,500 commercial vessels remain trapped inside the Persian Gulf.

Updated 5 days ago

Force in Play

Key European skeptic of territorial concessions; major arms supplier to Ukraine

In early 2025, Trump launched an aggressive push to "end the war" in Ukraine. He tied resumed military aid and intelligence sharing to Kyiv's acceptance of a U.S.-drafted peace framework that includes territorial concessions to Russia and long-term limits on Ukraine's sovereignty.

Updated 6 days ago

Force in Play

Target of Trump's criticism; pushing European defense autonomy

U.S. troops have been stationed in Germany continuously since 1945. On May 1, 2026, the Pentagon began rolling back a piece of that posture: roughly 5,000 service members—about one in seven Americans currently in the country—will leave over the next 6 to 12 months, taking a full brigade with them. A long-range fires battalion that the U.S. had pledged to deploy at the 2024 NATO summit, designed to put deeper-strike weapons on alliance soil for the first time since the Cold War, was cancelled in the same order.

Updated May 2

Money Moves

Leading the largest sustained increase in German defense spending since reunification

Europe's defense budgets jumped 14% last year to $864 billion, the steepest annual rise since the Cold War. Germany alone added 24%, reaching $114 billion and overtaking every other European spender. Meanwhile, US military spending fell 7.5% to $954 billion as Congress declined to authorize new Ukraine aid during 2025. The world's military burden — defense as a share of gross domestic product — climbed to 2.5%, its highest level since 2009.

Updated Apr 27

Force in Play

Supporting Article 5-like guarantees, considering German troop deployment

After nearly four years of war, Ukraine's allies continue racing to finalize security commitments amid persistent Russian military pressure and a critical air defense gap. In early January 2026, the Coalition of the Willing's Paris summit produced a declaration from 35 countries for robust guarantees, including US-led ceasefire monitoring and UK-France pledges for 15,000 troops in military hubs post-ceasefire. Trump and Zelenskyy finalized US security terms at Davos, with envoy Witkoff noting territory as the sole remaining issue. At the February 2026 Munich Security Conference, Secretary Rubio stated issues have 'narrowed' though challenges persist, confirming Geneva talks scheduled for February 17-18 with US envoys Witkoff and Kushner.

Updated Feb 25

Force in Play

Delivered opening keynote at Munich

For six decades, the Munich Security Conference has served as the West's annual gathering to coordinate defense policy. This year's 62nd conference concluded on February 15, 2026, with NATO allies announcing concrete military commitments—including Britain's Operation Firecrest carrier deployment to the Arctic—while navigating strained relations with Washington and preparing for President Trump's April visit to China.

Updated Feb 15

Rule Changes

Opening Munich Security Conference with keynote address

For seventy-five years, the transatlantic alliance operated on a simple premise: America leads, Europe follows, and collective defense binds them together. That arrangement is now being renegotiated in real time. At the 62nd Munich Security Conference opening February 13, 2026, European leaders are gathering not to coordinate with Washington but to assess how much they can still count on it.

Updated Feb 13

Rule Changes

Concluded first India visit January 13 with 19 bilateral agreements; jointly pushed for EU-India FTA finalization

After 19 years, 14 formal rounds, and a January sprint that defied skeptics, India and the European Union concluded their free trade agreement on January 26, 2026. EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa, attending India's Republic Day as chief guests, jointly announced the deal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 27. Von der Leyen called it 'the mother of all deals'—a pact creating a free trade zone of 2 billion people and a combined market of $27 trillion, representing 25% of global GDP. President Droupadi Murmu hailed the agreement in her January 28 address to Parliament, marking formal political ratification on both sides.

Updated Jan 28

Rule Changes

Called for EU deregulation; pledged Arctic security support

The World Economic Forum has convened annually in Davos for 55 years. This year's gathering—the first without founder Klaus Schwab—transformed into an emergency diplomatic summit when Trump's tariff threats over Greenland collided with record attendance from 60+ heads of state. By week's end, a NATO 'framework deal' had defused the immediate crisis, while Canadian PM Mark Carney delivered a declaration that European and middle-power leaders openly applauded: the U.S.-led rules-based order is over.

Updated Jan 23