He has vowed to prioritize European unity and the continent’s security as it grapples with the new Trump administration and Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), right, and Bavaria Governor Markus Soeder wave to supporters at a party event in Brilon, Germany, Jan. 19, 2025.

Hailing from Sauerland, a traditionally Catholic and socially conservative region in western Germany, Friedrich Merz has long embodied the values of pre-reunification West Germany—strong transatlantic ...