MUNICH — Germany’s defense minister told the U.S. on Friday that Washington has an interest in both a stable European Union and a united NATO, and cautioned against turning the fight against terrorism into a “front against Islam and Muslims.”

Minister Ursula von der Leyen also acknowledged that it won’t be enough in the future to rely on American military strength and “duck away” when things get tough.

She spoke at the opening of the Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of diplomats and defense officials that this year offers an opportunity for many to meet with members of the Trump administration amid concerns over the new president’s commitment to NATO and his attitudes toward the EU and Russia.

She was joined at the opening session by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who declared that “when it comes to security, no one goes their own way in this world alone.”