German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that parts of the new U.S. national security strategy unveiled last week were "unacceptable to us from a European perspective".
"I see no need for the Americans to now want to save democracy in Europe," Merz said after the paper accused Europe of undermining political liberty and stifling free speech.
The security strategy, meant to flesh out President Donald Trump's "America First" worldview, said the United States will shift from its historic global role towards increasing dominance in Latin America and to fighting migration.
It harshly described Europe as being over-regulated, censorious and facing "civilisational erasure" from migration, and criticised European institutions which it said "undermine political liberty and sovereignty".
Merz said he was "not surprised" by the content of the strategy. "Some of it is comprehensible and some of it is understandable," he said during a visit to the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The paper "confirms my assessment that we in Europe, and thus also in Germany, must become much more independent from the US in terms of security policy", he added.
However, he also urged the United States to continue working constructively with Europe.
"In my conversations with Americans, I say: 'America First' is fine, but America Alone cannot be in your interest. You also need partners in the world, and one of those partners can be Europe."
