(MENAFN) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that the Western world order the globe has long been accustomed to is coming to an end, with the shape of what follows still uncertain. Speaking at an economic conference hosted by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Merz argued that political and economic power is shifting globally, forcing Germany and other nations to decide whether to remain passive or actively help shape a new international order that extends beyond Europe.

“We do not yet know what it will look like in a few years, but we know quite clearly that the order we have known in the West over the last 80 years, and in the East over the last 35 years, is now coming to an end—on these very days, weeks, and months,” he said.

Merz pointed to a “deep rift” with the United States, which he said challenges nearly all assumptions that have guided transatlantic relations for decades. He also highlighted the multiple pressures facing Germany, including the war in Ukraine, relations with China, and complex trade disputes with the US, which go far beyond simple tariff disagreements.

The chancellor’s remarks echo his earlier statements acknowledging the West’s waning global influence. In October, he noted that the “appeal of what we call the free West is visibly declining.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized the rise of a “multipolar world,” criticizing Western “unipolarity” and hegemonic ambitions, while arguing that “liberal globalization has outlived its usefulness.”

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