After Trump meeting, Merz says he has ‘no doubt’ US remains committed to NATO – POLITICO

BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday he is fully confident that the United States under President Donald Trump will remain in NATO, despite years of tensions over defense spending and commitment within the alliance.

“I have no doubt whatsoever that the American government is committed to NATO,” Merz said during a Q&A at an event of the Family Entrepreneurs Association in Berlin. The remark comes one day after Merz’s debut trip to Washington, where he met with Trump in the Oval Office.

Reflecting on a private conversation with the U.S. president, Merz recalled: “The question that was asked was whether he had any plans to leave NATO — I’ll paraphrase here — and it was answered with a very clear ‘No.’ There was absolutely no further comment on it, not even at the lunch afterward.”