German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck has called for caution when making predictions about the outcome of the US presidential election.
"We shouldn't make the mistake of declaring Trump a premature winner or even subscribing to this idea," Habeck said with regard to former US president Donald Trump, who won more than a dozen Republican primary contests on Tuesday, cementing his expected third bid for the presidency.
The US side says the election campaign has not even really started yet, said the vice chancellor, who is also Germany's economy minister.
"We also know from the German election campaigns what can still happen," Habeck said at Berlin's international airport on Wednesday before departing on a multi-day trip to the United States.
However, it was absolutely clear to him that Europe had to do its "own homework," he said, adding that Europe must become resilient in a completely changed world situation - both in terms of economic security and military capabilities. This applies regardless of the outcome of the election in the US, he said.
