German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will go to Washington next week to meet US President Donald Trump, with the War in Ukraine And trade tensions between articles on the agenda, the German government announced on Saturday.
The Merz office said that the new German chief, who had taken the lead in the largest economy in Europe on May 6, will meet Trump in the White House Thursday – the first meeting in person between the two.
He said the meeting will address bilateral relations and international issues such as Russia war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and trade policy.
The first job was late to come for Merz, a lawyer by profession, who saw his ascent derailed by former Chancellor Angela Merkel in the early 2000s and even turned back to active politics for several years.
Merz has plunged into diplomatic efforts to try to get a ceasefire and maintain Western support to Ukraine intact since he became the chief of Germany. On Wednesday, he welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin.
Germany has a strong interest in defusing trade tensions between the European Union and the United States.
Trump threatened to impose a 50% rate on goods Imported from the block of 27 countries from Sunday, but then postponed the deadline until July 9.
