The German Chancellor Angela Merkel is now saying that Europe can’t depend on the US anymore for protection:
THE HILL – German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday said that Europe can no longer count on the U.S. to protect the region, saying Europe must “take its destiny into its own hands,” Bloomberg reported.
The comments are similar to ones that Merkel has made in the past in regards to President Trump’s “America First” foreign policy strategy and they come just days after the president decided to withdraw the U.S. from a multinational Iran nuclear deal that Germany is signed onto.
“It’s no longer the case that the United States will simply just protect us,” Merkel said in a speech honoring French President Emmanuel Macron. “Rather, Europe needs to take its fate into its own hands. That’s the task for the future.”
Bloomberg reported that the speech, given during a prize ceremony in Aachen, Germany, was met with applause.
Merkel and Macron released a joint statement with British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday confirming their commitments to stay in the international agreement aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear capabilities.
This isn’t the first time Merkel has said this, but she’s obviously upset about potential sanctions if German companies continue to work with Iran. I believe all of our allies have 90 days to get out of their agreements with Iran before sanctions are imposed, and the US hasn’t given any indication that it will except banks or companies in the region from these sanctions.
But is all this just talk? Or is Merkel ready to create a European army to defend Europe?