Merz Warns of Shifting Power Balances and Urges Europe to Act Faster

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that the world is undergoing profound shifts in power balances, urging Europeans to accelerate their adaptation to a new global reality increasingly shaped by strength and resilience.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Merz said that Russia’s attack on Ukraine marked more than a military conflict, representing a major turning point that has reshaped power balances across the international system.

He cautioned that a world governed solely by force is inherently dangerous, stressing that such an environment threatens smaller states first, followed by medium-sized powers, and ultimately major powers themselves.

Merz noted that China has successfully risen into the ranks of major powers, while the United States faces growing challenges to its dominant role alongside fundamental shifts in its foreign and security policies—developments that are redefining global power balances.

He concluded that the era of great-power politics is already underway, characterized by strength and influence, but emphasized that this trajectory is not inevitable, arguing that Europe’s survival depends on confronting harsh realities and setting a clear, realistic course forward.