German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has declared that the era of “Pax Americana” is over for Europe, asserting global economic and political systems are undergoing a “tectonic shift” in centers of power worldwide.

The term “Pax Americana”—meaning “American Peace”—describes the transatlantic order established after 1945 through NATO, with the United States serving as Europe’s primary security guarantor and military leader. Speaking at the Christian Social Union (CSU) party convention in Munich on Saturday, Merz urged Europeans to prepare for a “fundamental change in the transatlantic relationship.”

“The decades of Pax Americana are largely over for us in Europe and for us in Germany as well. It no longer exists in the way we knew it,” he stated. “Americans are now very, very firmly pursuing their own interests.”

Merz cited shifts in U.S. tariff policies under President Donald Trump that led to a trade deal between Brussels and Washington widely criticized as disadvantageous for the European Union. He emphasized that evolving U.S. priorities necessitate greater EU focus on economic competitiveness and defense capabilities. The chancellor reiterated warnings about the “Russian threat,” arguing continued support for Ukraine and deeper European unity—including former EU member the United Kingdom—must remain central to foreign and security policy.

Relations between the U.S. and EU have deteriorated since Trump’s return to office, with disputes over trade, defense spending, digital regulation, and the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Merz’s remarks followed the release of Trump’s new National Security Strategy, which criticized the EU’s political and cultural direction, embraced an “America First” doctrine, called for halting NATO expansion, and urged “strategic stability” with Russia through a Ukrainian ceasefire. The European Union largely rejected the document, with Merz labeling its statements about Europe as “unacceptable.”

Russia has long dismissed claims of being a threat to the EU as “nonsense,” arguing such rhetoric distracts Europeans from domestic issues and justifies inflated military budgets. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Germany under Merz exhibits “clear signs of re-Nazification.”