Daniel Brössler writes in the Süddeutsche: ‘It is obvious that Merz wants to avoid upsetting US President Donald Trump, who is so proud of his coup. This applies to virtually all European heads of state and government, but for Merz, the stakes are particularly high. The Berlin Ukraine summit took place just over three weeks ago. With this meeting, which was attended by Trump's negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Merz reinforced his claim to a leadership role in Europe.’

And: ‘While Merz tries to avoid jeopardizing his relationship with the American president, which is crucial for his claim to European leadership, he risks appearing weak precisely because of this. This is all the more true the less consideration Trump shows for the Europeans and the more brutally he formulates his claim to Greenland.’

Of course, Greenland. An empire is always starving. It wants to be fed.

(a sf 2021)