Friedrich Merz, who is poised to become Germany’s next chancellor, has warned Nato could be finished and Europe must prepare to build an alliance “independent” from the US.

Europe is staring down the barrel of a stark new reality where the United States being the backbone of NATO – the alliance that has guaranteed the continent’s security since 1949 for almost 80 years – is no longer a given.

A move to Europeanize the top NATO command post could be one way for President Donald Trump to signal he wants the United States to play a smaller role.

Asked about NATO Article 5 commitment, Trump says U.S. "not going to defend" allies that fail to meet his spending requirements.

Germany's coalition agreed a landmark deal to exempt defense spending from its harsh debt brakes, in addition to unveiling a $535 billion infrastructure pledge.

Election winner Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU, its Bavarian sister party CSU, and the Social Democrats (SPD) have taken a major step toward forming a coalition government, the heads of the parties said.

Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fanned out to European capitals this month delivering what Hegseth characterized as a "stark" message to America's treaty allies: "Now is the time to invest [in defense], because you can't make an assumption that America's presence will last forever."

While polling suggests Germany's far-right AfD party will fare well, it's very unlikely to be part of the next government of Europe's biggest economy.

President Trump has called on NATO allies to increase their defense spending to 5 percent, with only three countries currently meeting the 2 percent threshold, while NATO Secretary General Mark