Germany’s Merz says US ‘is and will remain’ Berlin’s ‘most important’ NATO partner

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said late Sunday that “the United States is and will remain Germany’s most important partner” in NATO

“We share a common goal: Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons,” he said on the US social media platform X.

Merz’s remarks come amid tensions between Washington and Berlin after he recently criticized the US for lacking an “exit strategy” in the Iran war while saying the Americans were “humiliated” by the Iranian regime during negotiations.

Merz said Sunday that the United States will not station Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany for the time being, stressing that the decision was not linked to his criticism of President Donald Trump.

“The Americans don’t have enough for themselves right now. Objectively speaking, there is virtually no possibility of the US supplying weapons systems of this kind,” Merz told public broadcaster ARD in an interview.

On Saturday, Trump said the US plans to reduce its troop presence in Germany, following an earlier decision to scale back forces in the country.

“We’re going to cut way down and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” he told reporters in Florida when asked about the move.