German Chancellor: Germany will continue to rely on America for a long time

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday that Germany will continue to rely on the United States for a long time to come, in a speech at an event for entrepreneurs’ hours after returning from his first visit to Washington, where he held talks with President Donald Trump.

“Whether we like it or not, we will continue to count on the United States, on America, for a long time to come,” Merz said at a business conference in Berlin.

He also stressed that he had no doubt that Trump would keep the United States within NATO.

The German Chancellor called for a different approach to the US president, saying, “Let’s stop talking about Donald Trump with condescension and disdain. We must talk to him, not about him”.

Merz stated that the US government is open to discussion, listening, and willing to accept other opinions.

He said, “You can talk to them, but you shouldn’t expose yourselves to intimidation… I don’t have that inclination anyway”.

Merz explained that, for example, he took a different position from Trump on Ukraine in the Oval Office, saying, “There was no disagreement… We discussed the matter again in detail over lunch”.

On another note, Merz said he would work to reach an agreement allowing the import of US made cars to Europe without customs duties, in exchange for exempting a similar number of European cars exported to the United States from the same duties.

He explained that he would try to reach a compensation basis or something like that, noting that it had been agreed to appoint representatives from the White House and the German Chancellery to begin intensive talks on trade relations between the two countries.

He also stressed that trade negotiations with the United States remain within the European Union’s purview, noting that he would later contact European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to inform her of the results of his talks with Trump.

These statements come on the heels of reports that major German companies such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen are in talks with Washington regarding a possible agreement on tariffs on auto imports.

In the same context, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius said in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine on Thursday that such a mechanism could set a precedent that could be applied to other industrial sectors.

On Thursday, the US President praised Germany’s increase in defense spending during his reception of Merz in the Oval Office of the White House.

Trump told the German chancellor, “I know you’re spending more money on defense right now, and that’s a good thing”.