BERLIN (AP) 鈥 New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday he will work to bring Europe and the U.S. together in their approach to Ukraine, enable his country to build Europe's strongest conventional army and make Europe's biggest economy a 鈥渓ocomotive of growth鈥 again.
The conservative leader a week ago after winning in February, ending a six-month period in which the European Union's most populous member lacked a government with a parliamentary majority. He has already made a to EU allies and with his French, Polish and British counterparts.
鈥淓urope expects something from us,鈥 Merz said in his first policy speech to parliament, and promised that 鈥渨e will offer our partners and friends reliability and predictability.鈥
The new chancellor said that 鈥渢he times in which Germany simply abstained on significant questions of European policy should be over,鈥 an apparent reference to internal divisions that bedeviled predecessor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition before it .
The new government brings together Merz's center-right Union bloc with Scholz's center-left Social Democrats.
Merz emphasized his desire to keep the Trump administration on board with support for Ukraine, adding that he spoke with President twice recently and was grateful for his support for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
鈥淎nyone who believes Russia would be content with a victory over Ukraine or parts of Ukraine, or the annexation of parts of the country, is wrong," Merz said. He pointed to various Russian and rejected the idea of a 鈥渄ictated peace鈥 or the 鈥渟ubjugation鈥 of Ukraine.
鈥淲e hope, and we all are working hard for this, that this clear position will not just be held everywhere in Europe but also by our American partners,鈥 Merz said, adding: 鈥淚t is of paramount importance that the political West not let itself be divided, so I will continue to make every effort to produce the greatest possible unity between the European and American partners.鈥
Even before taking office, the new governing coalition through parliament to enable higher defense spending by loosening strict rules on incurring debt, and to set up a huge infrastructure fund that鈥檚 aimed at boosting .
鈥淭he government will in the future provide all the financing the Bundeswehr needs to become the strongest conventional army in Europe,鈥 Merz said. 鈥淥ur friends and partners expect this of us; more than that, they are really demanding it of us.鈥
The German military suffered from years of neglect before Scholz, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale in 2022, pledged to increase Germany鈥檚 defense spending to the current NATO target of 2% of gross domestic product and announced the creation of a 100 billion-euro special fund to modernize the military.
Germany met that target thanks to the fund, but it will be used up in 2027.
Merz said that 鈥渨e will fulfill our commitments鈥 in Germany's interest and that of NATO, but didn't address for allies to raise their defense investments to 5% of GDP.
Merz acknowledged that Germany's security and influence in the world 鈥渟tand and fall with our economic strength.鈥 He pledged to roll back bureaucracy, advance digitization, provide tax breaks for companies and promote more EU trade agreements.
鈥淲e will do everything to get Germany's economy back on the course of growth,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e want to invest and reform ... through our own efforts, we can once again become a locomotive of growth that the world looks at with admiration.鈥
