Merkel: We Need to Think about a World without US as a Leader

Europeans grew up with a certain understanding that the United States wants to be a world power, the Chancellor stressed. Europe should reflect on a new reality where the United States may not seek to be a world leader, as it was before, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview with European publications, Guardian writes. Europeans grew up with a certain understanding that the United States wants to be a world power, the Merkel stressed. "If the United States now wants to stop playing this role of its own volition, we would need to think about it seriously," the chancellor said. Commenting on the decision of US President Donald Trump to reduce the American contingent in Germany, Merkel noted that they help protect not only Germany and the European part of NATO, but also American interests. Note that the United States began to abandon the role of a world gendarme after Trump came to the White House with the concept of "America First." The new leader began to gradually withdraw the American contingent from different countries.