Friedrich Merz called for the continent to step up, in his New Year’s address to the nation of Germany.
Europe must more forcefully assert itself to ensure peace and prosperity in 2026, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in his New Year’s address to the nation on Dec. 31.
Merz picked out a series of challenges facing the continent, including Russian aggression, global protectionism, and shifting ties with the United States.
“A terrible war is raging in Europe,” the chancellor said. “It is a war that directly threatens our freedom and our security. Our economy is under pressure from necessary reforms, high costs, and global trade conflicts.”
He went on to say that in light of new technologies that are “revolutionizing our working world and our social interactions,” his government had decided to seek “the renewal of the foundations of our freedom, our security, and our prosperity for the coming years and perhaps decades.”
Merz added that this renewal could only be achieved by securing peace and freedom in Europe.
Addressing the ongoing war between Moscow and Kyiv, he said that “Russia is continuing its war of aggression against Ukraine with undiminished ferocity.”
“And it is not a distant war that does not affect us, because we are seeing ever more clearly that Russia’s attack was and is part of a plan directed against all of Europe,” Merz said. “Germany, too, is being subjected to sabotage, espionage, and cyberattacks on a daily basis.”
Since taking office in May, Merz has been at the forefront of Europe’s efforts to support Ukraine, and Berlin has ramped up defense spending to show it is ready to assume more responsibility.
The German leader has also been one of the most prominent supporters of using frozen Russian assets to fund Kyiv’s resistance to Russia.
Russian assets worth up to $250 billion have been frozen in the EU since the United States and its allies banned transactions with Moscow’s central bank and finance ministry after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
By Guy Birchall
