German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, describing him as the “key person” who could put an end to the war in Ukraine through pressure on Russia. The meeting was Merz’s first official interaction with Trump since his election victory in February.
“Both of us share the same horrors of this war and need to bring an end to it. I informed the president that he is well-placed to assist in making that possible,” Merz said, as reported by CNN. He highlighted Germany’s firm backing for Ukraine, crediting “Russian weapons against Ukraine” for the destruction caused by the war, and reiterated that Kyiv was only attacking military infrastructure.
Trump, who had talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin the day before, according to reports, said the war may be best allowed to “play out,” comparing the war to kids fighting in the park. He cautioned Putin against a response to recent Ukrainian drone attacks against Russian airbases, telling him, “Don’t do it.”
Even as there are opposing opinions regarding the war, Merz’s visit was diplomatic. He gave Trump a framed version of his grandfather’s 1869 German birth certificate a move that seemed to be well-received. Merz steered clear of potential political minefields, dodging controversial topics such as EU tariffs and Germany’s domestic politics.
As Trump went through a sequence of cringe-worthy historical allusions, such as the remark on the 80th anniversary of D-Day “That was not a pleasant day for you?” Merz replied graciously: “It was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship.”
The encounter concluded on a tentative footing, with Merz signaling openness to dealing with Trump through diplomacy, even as there were tensions over such matters as trade and the far-right in Germany. Trump himself held out hope for a possible future trade agreement with the EU.
