Friedrich Merz

Chancellor of Germany Germany

Conservative

Christian Democratic Union (CDU) — centre-right, Atlanticist, pro-EU with tougher migration and higher defence spending

Community poll — liberal or conservative?

Liberal 590 (23%)(77%) 2009 Conservative

Most recent, with sources

At the NATO summit, Merz reaffirmed Germany's commitment to collective defence and sustained support for Ukraine within the alliance framework.

2025-06-24Speech

Merz stated the goal of building the strongest conventional army in Europe as part of Germany's renewed security role.

2025-06-24Speech

Germany will work toward spending 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2029 and 1.5% on defence-related infrastructure, meeting and exceeding NATO targets.

The rest of the record — every position, the goals behind them, and where a newer stance sits awkwardly with an older one — is on the details page.