New German leader Friedrich Merz will meet Trump at the White House next week
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrives for the cabinet meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
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.
Updated - Test BSP-2636
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Democracy: American democracy has overcome big stress tests since the 2020 election. More challenges lie ahead in 2024.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
- Read the latest: Follow AP’s complete coverage of this year’s election.
Merz’s office said the new German leader, who took the helm of Europe’s 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 Russia’s 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 Germany’s leader. On Wednesday, he hosted 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% tariff on goods imported from the 27-nation bloc starting Sunday, but then pushed back the deadline to July 9.