Germany's Merz tempers expectations of breakthroughs in Trump talks

Straits Times

2 days ago

FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivers a speech at the German Association of Towns and Municipalities event in Berlin, Germany, June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Christian Mang/File Photo
WASHINGTON/BERLIN - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would discuss Russia's war in Ukraine, U.S. tariffs and NATO in his first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, but was not expecting major breakthroughs.
Merz, a conservative who took office last month, was scheduled to join Trump for a meeting in the Oval Office and a White House lunch that analysts say could set the tone for U.S.-German ties for years to come.
"I look forward to the talks although I do not expect us to make major breakthroughs on these three topics," Merz told reporters ahead of the meeting, his first with Trump as chancellor of Germany, Europe's largest economy.
Trade will be a key topic along with ending the Ukraine war, Merz said. Germany is the second largest military and financial backer of Ukraine in its defence against Russia's invasion, after the United States.
While Trump has threatened tariffs to slash Germany's substantial trade surplus, Merz said he would counter that his country is also the third biggest direct investor in the United States.
The meeting comes amid a broader fraying of ties between the U.S. and many European countries.
Trump's administration has, for example, intervened in domestic European politics in a break with past practice, aligning with right-wing political movements and challenging European policies on immigration and free speech.
The Merz-Trump encounter will be closely watched after some dramatic Oval Office meetings in recent months in which the U.S. leader scolded Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and made false assertions.
Merz, 69, and his entourage have sought coaching from other leaders on how to deal with Trump to avoid conflict, according to a source briefed on the matter.
The meeting is taking place just weeks before a critical summit of the NATO Western military alliance, which has been strained by Trump's threats that the U.S. will not come to the aid of allies that do not increase their defence spending.
Such threats are of particular concern to Germany, which has relied on U.S. nuclear deterrence for its security since the end of World War Two.
Merz has already made some bold policy moves that he can highlight to appease Trump, analysts said. He has backed Trump's demand for NATO members to commit to a target of more than doubling defence spending to 5% of economic output in the future, earning praise last weekend from U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Merz, who has promised a more assertive foreign policy, also coordinated a visit by European leaders to Kyiv just days after taking office, two European diplomat sources said.
"This shows that Germany is willing to accept a greater responsibility for Ukraine and the European security order – these are all things that have been wished for in the United States over years and will be welcomed," said Sudha David-Wilp of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
The fact Merz was invited to stay in the Blair House guest quarters across from the White House is a positive signal, said analysts.
TO ARGUE OR NOT WITH TRUMP
Merz and Trump could find some common ground given they share business backgrounds, membership in right-of-centre political parties, a focus on fighting illegal immigration and a fondness for golf, said Steven Sokol, President and CEO of the American Council on Germany.
Merz has described himself as "a convinced transatlanticist", chairing the "Atlantic Bridge", a non-profit fostering U.S.-German ties, for 10 years.
"They might discover a kindred spirit," Sokol said.
However, analysts noted huge frictions in the U.S.-German relationship.
"The challenge that he could face is ... if Trump says something is erroneous, do you correct him? Do you risk turning it into an argument?" said Jeffrey Rathke, a former U.S. diplomat and president of the American-German Institute at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington.
Merz was publicly critical of Trump shortly before the 2024 presidential election.
On the eve of his own party's election victory in February, Merz criticised the "ultimately outrageous" comments flowing from Washington during the campaign, comparing them to hostile interventions from Russia. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.