Germany’s Merz Says Europe Wants Strong NATO, Backs Trump’s Goal of Ending Iran Conflict

Friedrich Merz also said Germany remains ‘highly interested in having the American army and ​the American military support on ​our side.’

U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz meet in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on March 3, 2026. Jonathan Ernst//Reuters

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Europe wants to maintain the NATO alliance, saying that Europe and the United States have the shared goal of stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“We are really willing to keep this alliance alive for the future,” Merz ​said at a press conference on May 9 alongside Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.