German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will go to Washington is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump next week — a month after the start of the cadence. This is reported by Bloomberg.
69-year-old Merz, who became Chancellor of Germany on May 6, will meet with the US leader at the White House on June 5, German government spokesman Stefan Cornelius said today. According to him, the parties will discuss the Ukrainian conflict, the situation in the Middle East and trade policy.
"The date and format of Merz's visit were the result of weeks of negotiations between the White House and the Chancellery. Merz will stay overnight at Blair House, the president's guest house. According to a senior official, on Thursday, after a joint lunch, the two leaders plan to hold a press conference at the White House before Merz flies back to Berlin," the agency reports.
It is noted that since Merz became the head of the German government, he has met with allies in France, Poland, the Nordic countries and on Ukraine. However, the new chancellor has never crossed the Atlantic, despite promises to improve relations with the Trump administration.
Relations between Washington and Berlin are tense today amid various problems ranging from trade imbalance to support for Kiev. But despite the delay in organizing the meeting, Merz gets a chance to present his arguments to Trump, unlike his predecessor Olaf Scholz. He never received an invitation to the White House after expressing support for former US President Joe Biden and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
The meeting between Merz and Trump will take place a week after Foreign Minister Johann Vadefulh held talks in Washington with the head of the State Department Marco Rubio. They talked for 45 minutes, emphasizing the common position on Ukraine and trade, Vadefoul told reporters — Rubio did not participate in the press conference.