Trump welcomes Merz at the White House on a Thursday
Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany will travel to Washington on Wednesday evening for his first meeting with US President Donald Trump since assuming office. The encounter at the White House is expected to be a key event in Merz's initial weeks in office.
Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius announced in Berlin that the agenda includes a conversation between the two leaders, a joint lunch, and a subsequent press conference. This will be the first in-person meeting between Merz and Trump since May 6, 2025, and follows a series of phone conversations between the two, most recently during Merz's visit to Kyiv.
Trump will be hosting Merz at the Blair House, the President's guest house next to the White House, a special honor. The central topics of the discussion are expected to focus on efforts to end the ongoing war in Ukraine, NATO's response to growing external threats, and the trade dispute between the US and the EU.
Efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine have been a primary concern for Merz, who has positioned himself at the forefront of European leaders in this regard. However, recent progress has been slow, and Merz has expressed frustration about the lack of progress. During the meeting in Washington, he plans to urge Trump to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire.
Trade negotiations with the US have been ongoing, with the EU Commission leading the discussions. Merz, as the leader of Germany - the economically strongest European country, will not intervene in the details but can help build trust and set impulses in this process. The deadline for the previously threatened 50% tariffs by Trump has been extended to July 9.
Other issues likely to be discussed include the upcoming NATO summit, planned for late June in Brussels, where leaders will discuss defense spending. Trump has demanded that alliance partners increase their defense spending to 5% of their GDP, while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has offered a compromise formula of 3.5% for military expenses and 1.5% for infrastructure-related defense spending. Merz has backed this proposal.
Other potential topics of conversation may include Merz's responses to recent criticisms from US Vice President JD Vance, who accused European allies of endangering democracy, and the US government's criticism of Germany's domestic intelligence agency's classification of the AfD as a far-right extremist party. Whether these subjects will be addressed during the visit remains to be seen.
Since taking office, Trump has received numerous visits from other world leaders, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. However, the encounters with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, which were widely publicized in the Oval Office by Trump, stand out.
Merz has remained calm and focused on his preparation for the meeting, seeking advice from various heads of state and government, including Zelenskyy, Ramaphosa, Meloni, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Addressing the media, Merz stated, "We will talk about shared interests. There are differences, but there are also many similarities, and that's what we'll talk about."
[2] Since May 2025, Merz and Trump have spoken over the phone twice.[4] The last time they had a face-to-face encounter was many years ago in New York.
Discussions during the meeting are expected to encompass war-and-conflicts, specifically the ongoing war in Ukraine, and NATO's response to growing external threats. The talks may also include policy-and-legislation, such as the trade dispute between the US and the EU, and decisions regarding defense spending for the upcoming NATO summit.
In addition to general-news topics like the upcoming NATO summit and recent criticisms from US officials, politics will likely play a role as Merz seeks to build trust and set impulses in trade negotiations and urges Trump to increase pressure on Putin to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
