New German leader Friedrich Merz will meet Trump at the White House next week [View all]
Source: AP
Updated 11:37 AM EDT, May 31, 2025
BERLIN (AP) German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Washington next week to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, with the war in Ukraine and trade tensions among the items on the agenda, the German government said Saturday.
Merzs office said the new German leader, who took the helm of Europes biggest economy on May 6, will meet Trump at the White House on Thursday the first in-person meeting between the two.
It said that the meeting will address bilateral relations and international issues such as Russias war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and trade policy.
Merz has plunged into diplomatic efforts to try to secure a ceasefire and keep Western support for Ukraine intact since becoming Germanys leader. On Wednesday, he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/germany-merz-trump-washington-visit-560029c16d859d6ff6c11146937ac35a