 "'Brutal clarification, unacceptable’: France, Germany slam US National Security Strategy, warn of transatlantic rift")
Germany and France on Tuesday criticised the United States’ newly released National Security Strategy, with both governments warning that the document marks a troubling shift in Washington’s posture toward Europe.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said portions of the strategy were “unacceptable from a European perspective,” bringing unusually blunt language into transatlantic relations.
“I see no need for the Americans to now want to save democracy in Europe,” Merz said during a visit to Rhineland-Palatinate after the US document accused Europe of undermining political liberty and stifling free speech.
While acknowledging that parts of the analysis were “comprehensible,” Merz said the strategy reinforced his view that Europe — and Germany — must move toward strategic autonomy.
“The paper confirms my assessment that we in Europe must become much more independent from the US in terms of security policy,” AFP quoted him as saying.
Still, he urged continued cooperation: _“_America First is fine, but America Alone cannot be in your interest.”
Merz added that the strategy showed US Vice President JD Vance’s earlier criticism of Europe was “not a slip-up but the beginning of a strategic realignment” in Washington.
“This affects foreign policy, security policy, economic policy, and also European policy, insofar as it exists,” Merz was quoted as saying.
The strategy paper, unveiled last week and intended to outline President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy, accuses Europe of suppressing free speech, undermining political liberty, and facing “civilisational erasure” due to migration.
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View AllIt also suggests the United States should “cultivate resistance” within the EU —language that has sparked alarm across European capitals.
France: Europe must rearm
In Paris, Minister Alice Rufo delivered the strongest French response so far, telling lawmakers the US document reveals a stark and deliberate repositioning.
“The new American security strategy is an extremely brutal clarification of the United States’ ideological posture,” Reuters quoted her as saying during a National Assembly session.
Rufo — formerly deputy national security adviser to President Emmanuel Macron —warned that Europe must accelerate its rearmament to preserve its geopolitical standing.
“We live in a world of carnivores, Europe is no island, and Europe will be respected only if it knows how to make itself respected,” she said.
After meeting Pentagon officials in Washington over the weekend, Rufo said the document had sparked internal debate within the US administration, particularly regarding how Russia is described.
A widening transatlantic rift
The strategy’s depiction of Europe as over-regulated, censorious, and politically stagnant represents one of the sharpest critiques of the continent ever issued by a US administration.
European officials fear the document signals a long-term departure from Washington’s traditional role as Europe’s security guarantor — raising concerns about Nato cohesion and the future of the Western alliance.
With reactions hardening in both Berlin and Paris, the fallout from the new US security doctrine is shaping up to be one of the most significant transatlantic ruptures of the Trump presidency’s second term.
With inputs from agencies
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