French President Emmanuel Macron was prepared to present a unified case for Europe when he arrived at the Oval Office on Monday, at a moment when transatlantic ties have rapidly deteriorated.

During a meeting in the Oval Office, French President Emmanuel Macron corrected President Donald Trump when he suggested that Europe offered a loan to Ukraine. Macron responded by correcting Trump, saying that in fact,

Europe must seek to “achieve independence” from the United States, Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said after his opposition conservatives won elections on Sunday, in a vote that also saw surging support for the far-right.

Germany's election winner Friedrich Merz warned the United States on Monday against turning its back on allies but also urged Europeans to build up their own defence capabilities, saying it was now "five minutes to midnight for Europe".

Friedrich Merz could have one shot at fending off ascending populists and an increasingly hostile U.S., analysts say.