Europe seeks stronger security and urges U.S. to repair trust

At the Munich Security Conference, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin has begun talks with France on a European nuclear deterrent and urged the United States to repair transatlantic trust; President Emmanuel Macron called for a reorganized, stronger European security architecture.

European leaders used remarks at the Munich Security Conference to call for a stronger and more independent European security posture while stressing the importance of maintaining ties with the United States. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin has begun confidential talks with France on a European nuclear deterrent and emphasized that Germany remains bound by legal obligations and NATO arrangements. President Emmanuel Macron urged Europe to become a geopolitical power and to reshape its security architecture, and he is scheduled to speak further on nuclear deterrence later this month. Several officials from Canada and the United States spoke at panels about greater defence cooperation and the need for allied cooperation in a changing global environment. Noted developments: - Chancellor Friedrich Merz said confidential talks with France have begun on a European nuclear deterrent and called on the U.S. to "repair and revive" transatlantic trust. - President Emmanuel Macron urged Europe to become more assertive, to reorganize its security architecture, and is due to make a speech on the nuclear deterrent later this month. - Merz stressed Germany's legal obligations and framed the discussions as embedded within NATO's nuclear-sharing arrangements; France remains the European Union's only nuclear power following Britain's departure from the bloc. - Officials including Canada's Defence Minister David McGuinty and U.S. figures such as Senator Chris Coons and Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed increased defence cooperation and the need for allied coordination in response to global challenges. Summary: European leaders at Munich signalled a desire to strengthen the continent's security capabilities while also calling for repaired transatlantic trust. Planned next steps include continued confidential consultations between Germany and France and a forthcoming speech by President Macron on nuclear deterrence later this month. Undetermined at this time: the specific outcomes or timelines of those consultations.