The second round of the vote for German chancellor took place on Tuesday, and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz secured the necessary votes. However, his failure in the first round is seen by critics as a sign of weakness.

Matti Maasikas, a senior official at the European External Action Service, said on ETV's "Esimene stuudio" that Merz's initial setback is primarily being felt in Germany's domestic politics.

"You saw that the first thing Chancellor Merz did was travel to Paris, followed by Warsaw. In foreign policy, that setback doesn't carry the same weight," Maasikas said.

He also pointed out that there are heightened expectations for Germany to take on a greater leadership role.

"In recent years, Germany has been expected to be more active and to take on a leading role, something that several of its previous chancellors have done very well. They've been especially effective when working in tandem with the French president," said Maasikas.

Maasikas also noted that relations between the European Union and the United States have yet to grow significantly stronger, as President Donald Trump's second term is still in its early stages.

"Let's look at the context that has emerged since the start of Donald Trump's second term and in transatlantic relations — specifically between the European Union and the United States. For Trump and his administration, the EU is very clearly an economic power, and Trump's main economic benchmark is whether the U.S. has a trade deficit or surplus. Because the EU has a large surplus in goods with the U.S., let's just say our usually friendly relations haven't really had a chance to begin — but we're already seeing movement on both sides," Maasikas affirmed.

As an example, he pointed to Trump's decision to impose increased tariffs on European goods, only to immediately postpone their implementation.

Maasikas does not believe that the United States plans to end its support for Europe.

"For decades, the U.S. has played a special role in ensuring Europe's security — largely because Americans have wanted that and agreed to it themselves. Within NATO's division of labor, Europeans have left certain tasks to the Americans because they simply do them better. They have the necessary resources. Naturally, many are now wondering what would happen and what we would do if the U.S. were to truly pull out, but there's no sign of that. So there's no need to worry. The more urgent question is how we would continue supporting Ukraine if U.S. military aid were to stop," he emphasized.

Maasikas also said the European Union plays a major role in assisting Ukraine, and that at the negotiating table, Europeans must be able to demonstrate just how much support they've provided.

"When it comes to Ukraine's future, Europe has a lot to say, offer and negotiate. The European Union has provided nearly €150 billion in support since the start of the full-scale war. We've granted asylum and a home to four million Ukrainians permanently, but most importantly, the EU has politically opened its doors to Ukraine and offered it the prospect of membership," Maasikas said.

"If you think about how the EU's enlargement policy works — which we Estonians have also experienced — joining the Union makes you more forward-looking, stronger and more predictable. That's the most important thing we can offer Ukraine — and what we are offering," Maasikas concluded.

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