German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Trump (YouTube)
The Hill: Merkel: Europe can no longer rely on US protection
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that Europe can no longer count on the United States to protect it, urging the continent to “take destiny into its own hands.”
“It is no longer such that the United States simply protects us, but Europe must take its destiny in its own hands, that's the task of the future," she said during a speech honoring French President Emmanuel Macron, according to Agence France-Presse.
Her sharp comments came days after President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal, angering European allies who are parties to the 2015 pact.
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Update #1: Europe can no longer rely on US to 'protect' it: Merkel (AFP)
Update #2: Merkel Says Europe Can't Count on U.S. Military Umbrella Anymore (Bloomberg)
Update #3: Time to ‘take fate into its own hands’: Europe can’t rely on US protection anymore, says Merkel (RT)
WNU Editor: Does this mean that Germany will increase its defense budget .... no. Does this mean that Germany will push the EU to chart an independent foreign policy from the U.S. .... probably. But as I have mentioned in a few commentaries earlier in the day .... is it in Germany's interest and the EU's to forge closer political and economic ties to nations like Iran over their ties with the U.S.? Does this even make sense? But that is what we are now hearing from the German Chancellor and a few other European leaders.
