On 05 June, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz had a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House, USA. Both leaders discussed the war in Ukraine, NATO’s defence spending, their defence relationship, and the transatlantic commitments. 

On the war in Ukraine, Trump said that the war between Russia and Ukraine will not stop any time soon, and they are “fighting like children,” and will have to negotiate their way to peace. Also, to diffuse the situation, he plans to impose sanctions on both regions. Merz, in response, acknowledged that Trump is the most important figure and, with his influence, the war can end, and has called on other countries to increase their efforts to end the war. 

The main areas of discussion were on trade and defence. Regarding the trade factor, the tariffs imposed on the EU affect the German economy. Germany is an export-heavy economy, and the negotiations between the US and the EU will affect their markets. Trump said that he is open to making a deal; otherwise, he was satisfied with his decision on the tariffs. In the defence sector, Trump acknowledged Germany’s commitments to keep up with the NATO defence goals, and highlighted that Germany will contribute 3.5 per cent of its GDP, going beyond the baseline two per cent. Germany, for a long time, relied on American troops and emphasised the need for Germany and the US to engage more actively in the defence sector. In response to this, Trump affirmed the American troops' presence in Germany and confirmed their commitments to NATO.

Trump, in his first term, had issues with Germany and did not have a good relationship with the former Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, and claimed that Germany was free-loading, taking advantage of the US, and that German industries are competing and dominating the US. But regarding Merz, Trump would like to get to know the present Chancellor, and vice versa. Since both leaders come from a business background and are conservatives, the possibility of connecting and building a stronger relationship exists, and the meeting was considered a positive one in comparison to Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Following the meeting, Merz said that he could connect with Trump at a personal level. Merz gave a gift to Trump, which was the birth certificate of his grandfather, Friedrich Trump, and said that the President was moved by the gift. He concluded by saying that Trump accepts his request and will visit Germany, and will work out the further details. 

References:
Andreas Rinke, Andrea Shalal, Sarah Marsh & Jeff Mason, “Trump, Germany's Merz build ties in friendly meeting on Ukraine and trade,” Reuters, 06 June 2025
“Germany’s Merz ventures into Trump’s lion’s den,” Politico, 05 June 2025
Christoph Hasselbach, “High hopes as Germany's Merz meets US President Trump,” Deutsche Welle, 04 June 2025
“US-German Ties: Will 'defence and economic concerns' loom large?” France 24, 05 June 2025
“Germany’s Merz says he found Trump open to dialogue and committed to NATO,” AP News, 06 June
“Merz Gets Warm Reception, but Fails to Secure Trump Commitment on Russia,” The New York Times, 05 June 2025