Never before since the end of World War II have Germany’s imperial ambitions been declared so openly as they were by Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Munich Security Conference on February 14, 2026 – a venue deeply embedded in history and associated with Hitler’s plans to dominate Europe. At a time when Berlin is pursuing a strategy aimed at stripping Poland of the foundations of its sovereignty, Merz unveiled a plan for a German-led Europe – writes Piotr Grochmalski in Gazeta Polska.
According to Merz, Europe needs strong leadership that only Germany can provide. This is plainly false. The series of catastrophes that have severely weakened the EU stemmed from reckless and absurd ideas forcefully pushed through by Berlin. These include the idiotic shutdown of nuclear power plants in Germany, the deadly migration policy, the mortally dangerous undermining of Europe’s energy foundations as a consequence of the Berlin-Moscow gas axis, the suffocation of the European economy through the madness of emissions trading (ETS) and the “Fit for 55” package, as well as Germany’s financing of Russia’s rearmament – effectively encouraging Vladimir Putin’s military aggression.
The German View of the World
Neither Gerhard Schroeder nor Angela Merkel has borne any responsibility for the destruction and degradation of the EU. No other European state pursued such a radically anti-American and pro-Chinese economic policy. It was Merkel who, against other EU politicians, sought at the end of her tenure to impose a strong economic pact between the European Union and China.
Yet in Munich, Merz brazenly stated: “China is asserting global ambitions to shape the world order. For many years, Beijing has laid the foundations for this with strategic patience. In the foreseeable future, China may achieve military parity with the United States. China systematically exploits the dependencies of others. It reinterprets the international order in line with its own interests. If there was a unipolar moment in history after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it has long since passed. The United States’ claim to leadership is at the very least contested, perhaps already lost.”
Merz not only questions the outcome of the Cold War as one of U.S. global dominance but openly calls for undermining America’s special position.
The scale of Berlin’s appetite to attempt for a third time what twice ended in a sea of blood and an attempt to conquer Europe is astonishing. On February 13, 2026, in Foreign Affairs, Merz published an article provocatively titled “How to Prevent the Tragedy of Great Power Politics.” Germany – which financed Putin’s preparations for war – now seeks to present itself as the savior of the world from “great power politics.” As the subtitle claims, this is because “Germany knows the costs of a world governed solely by force.” That is patently untrue. It is the victims murdered in German “factories of death” who know the true cost.
Germany conceived and carried out modern genocide and has still not provided reparations for the Polish Holocaust. MEP Arkadiusz Mularczyk of Law and Justice (PiS) responded firmly to Germany’s leadership ambitions, stating: “For many Poles, this sounds like an obvious provocation. To this day, Germany has not settled accounts for the crimes of World War II and does not want to engage in dialogue on this matter.”
Merz’s Imperial Madness
The scale of distortion employed by Merz is shocking. It is hard to forget the brutal political war Berlin waged against Poland aimed at overthrowing the government of the United Right. Today, Berlin believes the historical moment has arrived to push the United States out of Europe and return to the idea of German dominance. Yet it is too cautious to lead such an anti-American campaign openly. Instead, it seeks to use Poland – long regarded as America’s strongest ally in Europe.
Merz argues: “What we are witnessing today is a struggle for spheres of influence, dependencies and loyalties. Recognizing that it is catching up with China, the United States is rapidly adapting to this new dynamic. In its policy – and especially in its National Security Strategy – Washington is drawing radical conclusions, doing so in a way that accelerates rather than slows this dangerous game.”
He further claims in Foreign Affairs: “German foreign and security policy has three goals: freedom, security and strength. Above all stands our freedom. Our security protects it, and our economic strength allows it to flourish. Germany’s constitution, history and geography require its policy to be firmly rooted in a united Europe. This is more valuable to us today than ever before.”
Translated into political reality, this means Germany seeks freedom and security for itself through the forceful subordination of Europe to its interests.
Pro-Berlin Narratives of Sikorski
Referring cynically to power as a tool of dominance, Merz invoked Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, recalling his words: “I fear German inactivity more than German power.” Merz declares that answering this call is part of Germany’s responsibility.
Sikorski repeated this phrase in 2011, 2022, January 2024 and again on June 27, 2025, stating that “more than the German army, I fear German hesitation on rearmament.” Berlin repeatedly used such statements to weaken Poland’s relations with the United States.
In 2006 in Brussels, Sikorski compared the Nord Stream pipeline to a modern German-Soviet pact against Poland, stating: “Poland is particularly sensitive about corridors and agreements made over our heads. That was the tradition of Locarno, that was the tradition of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. That was the twentieth century. We do not want a repeat.” German politicians fiercely attacked him at the time.
German Military Power as the Foundation of a German Europe
Merz emphasized in Munich and in Foreign Affairs that Berlin will make the Bundeswehr the strongest conventional army in Europe and strengthen NATO’s eastern flank. He also plans to “secure the Arctic and the Far North” and insists that Europe must become a global political player with its own security policy. Referring to Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union, he stated: “We must now determine how to organize this at the EU level – not as a substitute for NATO, but as a self-sufficient, strong pillar of the alliance.”
This effectively outlines a plan to create a new treaty that would lead NATO toward gradual irrelevance.
Merz also revealed “confidential talks with France on nuclear deterrence in Europe.” Yet France’s nuclear arsenal remains fully independent of NATO and under the exclusive authority of the French president. The nuclear signal is clearly aimed at the United States.
Berlin also intends to reshape Europe’s defense industry under the SAFE program to stimulate cooperation and deepen military integration, alongside trade agreements such as the EU-Mercosur deal and negotiations with India.
Germany and the United States
While pushing Prime Minister Donald Tusk toward anti-American hysteria in Poland, Merz simultaneously claims Germany seeks a new transatlantic partnership. He states openly: “Germany therefore wishes to establish a new transatlantic partnership.”
He dismisses American cultural debates, saying “the culture war waged by the MAGA movement is not our concern.”
Yet Germany conducts ideological pressure against Poland and shields Tusk’s transformation of Poland while seeking to reshape EU institutions into instruments of Berlin’s imperial policy.
Merz emphasizes: “If we do this with strength, mutual respect and a newly found sense of self-confidence, both sides will benefit.”
He further declares that Germany will “refresh its relations with China.” At a time when U.S. strategy documents warn of the threat from China and NATO’s strategic concept identifies Beijing as a major challenge, Berlin’s pro-China orientation signals an anti-American course.
Poland as One of the Victims
In Foreign Affairs, analyst Liana Fix warned in an article titled “Europe’s Next Hegemon” of the dangers of German power. She recalled Margaret Thatcher’s fears in 1989 that a united Germany “would undermine the stability of the entire international situation and could endanger our security.”
Fix notes that in 2025 Germany spent more on defense in absolute terms than any other European country, ranking fourth globally just behind Russia. Annual military spending is projected to reach $189 billion by 2029. Germany is even considering restoring conscription.
She warns: “Left unchecked, German military dominance could ultimately foster divisions on the continent.” France and many in Poland remain wary. In the worst case, competition could return, dividing Europe and leaving it vulnerable.
Germany plans to spend over $750 billion on defense within four years while using SAFE loans to draw other EU states into mechanisms under Berlin’s control. Fix observes that Berlin intends to direct the lion’s share of its defense budget to German arms companies, exploiting EU competition law exemptions tied to national security.
Other EU states, including Poland, are to be drawn into SAFE while Germany builds a military force capable of dominating Europe and transforming it into a new, Fourth Reich.