From the point of view of the CDU chairman Friedrich Merz, cracks in the German-American relationship remain visible even after the inaugural visit of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in Washington.
In the detailed justification by US President Joe Biden that Germany is a reliable partner, you can see that there are doubts about this, Merz said on Deutschlandfunk on Tuesday morning.
And the fact that Biden so harshly announced the end of the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, but Scholz said nothing about it, shows that there are cracks in the German-American relationship.
Merz stuck to the attitude he had expressed before the visit that Scholz's visit had come too late.
The Chancellor is thus partly responsible for the fact that doubts about the reliability of Germany have arisen in Washington.
The activities of Scholz's predecessor, Gerhard Schröder, were also viewed with great skepticism in the USA.
"All of this does not mean that one can speak of a successful initial visit here," says Merz.
The CDU chairman accused the SPD of having an inconsistent attitude towards dealing with Russia.
There is a connection to Russia that is strongly influenced by Schröder and in which party leader Lars Klingbeil is also involved.
Allegations of saber-rattling against Ukraine are a "completely bizarre reversal of the causes of this conflict".
This is also being heard in all European capitals and perceived with great satisfaction in Moscow.
Merz missed a clear European position in the conflict.
"More should have happened on the European side."
Merz described the dual strategy of threats with coordinated tough sanctions in the direction of Moscow and keeping channels of communication open as correct.
If that is the strategy of the federal government and Scholz does not rule out anything here, then the Union will also support it.
Merz reiterated his plea for sending "purely defensive weapons" to Ukraine.
The federal government excludes arms deliveries to Kiev.
When asked about a possible exclusion of Russia from the Swift international payment system, Merz said that all options were on the table.
In mid-January, Merz warned of massive consequences for Germany as an export nation if Russia were to be excluded.