German Chancellor Merz Indicates Significant Change on Putin After Meeting with US President Donald Trump.

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German Chancellor Merz Signals Major Shift on Putin After Meeting With US President Donald Trump

According to Chancellor Merz he said I have no illusions about the challenges we face. By this week at the latest, it should be clear to everyone how profound and far-reaching these challenges are. We are now in the third year of a recession, and we must find a way out of it. I say this with a sense of self-critique: this task is greater than some might have imagined a year ago. We are not just experiencing a cyclical downturn; we are in a structural crisis in our economy. Currently, we are not keeping pace with global developments. We are no longer the leading industrial nation that the world looks to; we have a structural growth weakness. In many parts of our economy, we are no longer truly competitive, particularly in terms of price competitiveness. While the quality of our products remains high, we must improve the framework conditions that have hindered us for years. For too long—over a decade—Germany's economic productivity has lagged behind international standards, and we need to change that. 

The conditions for doing business in our country must become competitive again. Additionally, we have made changes in our migration policy, which, together with economic policy, are the two major concerns of our people. From day one, we committed to setting a new course in migration policy. Alexander Dorrint, the new Federal Minister of the Interior, instructed the Federal Police to tighten controls at Germany's borders on his first day in office. 

It's important not to be confused by misleading numbers. The fact that only 500 or 600 rejections have occurred is not the crucial point; what matters is the political signal that Germany has mitigated its appeal as a destination where one can come and stay permanently. We are currently experiencing the lowest level of asylum applications since 2013. We have fundamentally corrected the mistakes made over the last decade. The number of initial applications has decreased from over 140,000 last year to 70,000 in the first half of 2025. I must emphasize that this number is still too high. Imposing 15% tariffs is not beneficial for the German economy. However, entering into a deeper trade conflict or a trade war with the United States could have led to an even worse scenario. Fortunately, we now have a somewhat manageable agreement with the Americans.

What does this mean for us? In two respects, it is essential: First, as the European Union, we need to become stronger, more confident, and more independent. We have been overly dependent on Russian gas and oil, on America for our security, and on countries like China for our economy. The logical conclusion is that we must work diligently to gain independence in economic, trade, and security policies, ensuring that we are taken seriously in the world and not treated as pawns, but as active players. This must be our collective goal.

Consider what we accomplished at the NATO summit in The Hague: we enabled the largest defense expenditures in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany by changing the fundamental laws between our two governments. We must also be the party that unequivocally supports the Bundeswehr and maintains personal contact with our soldiers. No other institution in Germany deserves our gratitude as much as the Bundeswehr does. I would like you to participate in showing that we are a party focused on defense and that we care for our soldiers.

If we are serious about our commitment to Israel, then our children and grandchildren must understand what happened in Germany 80 years ago. Only then can we ensure that future generations accept the mission of standing up for Israel's security. I want to clarify something that has sparked some debate: solidarity with Israel does not mean unconditionally agreeing with everything the current Israeli government decides. I have made decisions regarding arms deliveries in specific cases, and in some instances, we are doing much more than before. However, in this specific case, Germany will not participate—either directly or indirectly—in actions that are widely considered outside of Israel to be violations of international law.

Dear friends, we face significant challenges, and the greatest challenge on our continent will be restoring peace in Ukraine. I emphasize "on our continent" because, while it is often perceived as a conflict far away, Ukraine is actually the second-largest country in Europe by area, following Russia, which I intentionally count as part of Europe.