German conservative chancellor hopeful Friedrich Merz has proposed that European leaders develop new energy and defense deals with the US to ensure relations with returning US President Donald Trump get off to a positive start.
“I think he will be willing to make deals even with the Europeans. He’s a deal maker. So let's think about what we can offer,” he told an international audience at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
Merz said European countries should examine increasing their liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchases from the US and jointly buying US military equipment, among other potential large-scale deals.
“I think he (Trump) will be an interesting partner for us, provided we are on the European side knowing what we want in common,” he said.
Merz, who leads the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is the frontrunner ahead of Feb. 23 elections, though his conservative bloc would need to form a coalition government with either the Social Democrats or the Greens.
The conservative politician said he had already sent a letter to Trump on Monday congratulating him on the inauguration and expressing his intention to meet soon.
“And I think we should be ready to meet as soon as possible, but there is one precondition: I would not like to see any European leader go to Washington, DC without having coordinated this before with other European leaders,” he said.
“As soon as we are having a common European position we are seen as a strong partner in Washington, DC,” he said, warning that the EU would weaken its position if each European leader visits Trump individually, speaking only for their own country.
Trump has long criticized European allies for not meeting NATO's defense spending targets and threatened to withdraw the US from the military alliance. His criticism of previous US military aid packages to Ukraine approved during the Biden administration has raised concerns in Berlin about America's continued support.
Additionally, Trump's proposal for steep tariffs on foreign imports worries the German government, as the US remains Germany's largest export market.
By Anadolu staff in Berlin
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr