German Chancellor Calls for Revival of Trans-Atlantic Trust at Munich Security Conference

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday called for the United States and Europe to improve Trans-Atlantic relations and jointly revive trust. He stated that the US being part of NATO is in the interest of the United States itself.

German Chancellor Merz, opening the annual gathering of top global security figures, the Munich Security Conference, noted that the Trans-Atlantic relationship has been strained for several years. Last year's conference revealed growing disagreements between the Trump administration and Europe.

This year's meeting has gathered top European officials, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and many other diplomats. World leaders have convened in Munich for the annual security conference, which began on Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are also expected to participate in the conference, which runs until Sunday. Following the tradition of the conference, a large delegation of US Congress members will also be present.

Conference Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger told reporters earlier this week, "The Trans-Atlantic relationship has been the backbone of this conference since its establishment in 1963, and since the Trans-Atlantic relationship is currently in a significant crisis of trust and credibility, it is particularly welcome that the US side has such great interest in Munich."

Last year, during the conference a few weeks after US President Donald Trump's second term was discussed, European leaders were surprised after Vice President JD Vance explained the state of democracy on the continent to them.

This year, with Rubio leading the US delegation, European leaders can expect a less controversial approach, focusing more on traditional global security concerns.

Rubio is expected to meet with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen during the conference.

Rubio also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang before Trump's planned visit to China in April. They shook hands standing in front of Chinese and American flags before sitting down with their delegations, but neither spoke much.

Before departing for Germany on Thursday, Rubio offered some reassuring words, stating that Europe is important to Americans.

"We are connected to Europe in many ways," he told reporters before his Europe trip. "Most people in this country can trace their cultural or personal heritage to Europe. We must be interested in that."

Secretary of State Rubio said, "This will not be business as usual. We are living in a new era of geopolitics, and this requires all of us to re-examine what this looks like."

Rubio arrived in Munich on Friday and is scheduled to address the conference on Saturday morning. Following last year's Munich Conference, NATO allies agreed to a significant increase in their defense spending targets under pressure from Trump.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said, "Europe has truly stepped up, Europe is taking a leading role within NATO and taking more care of its own security."