European leaders braced for a combative Munich Security Conference on Friday, with Germany’s Friedrich Merz noting starkly that the international world order “no longer exists” – one of the few points of agreement between the fractious allies in the transatlantic alliance.
Merz’s speech at the southern German conference, which brings together officials from across the world to discuss international security and hold diplomatic talks, highlighted the growing divide between the United States and Europe.
The German leader, of the center-right Christian Democratic Union party, warned that Europe’s freedom “is no longer a given” in an era of big powers ignoring international rules. He condemned…