Merz avoids a blowup in the Oval, but Trump goes his own way on Russia
President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz papered over their differences, especially concerning the war in Ukraine, during their first face-to-face meeting in the Oval Office on Thursday.
Merz, who just months ago responded to the administration's hostile approach toward Europe by asserting that the continent needed to gain 'independence' from the U.S., repeated to Trump that he needed the president's help to end the war in Ukraine and achieve the peace they both desire.
The German chancellor said that he told Trump privately upon arrival that 'he is the key person in the world who can really do that — by putting pressure on Russia.'
Merz was deferential as the two sat side by side, intent on avoiding the kind of awkward confrontation that has bedeviled other visiting world leaders.
It appeared to work.
Trump called Merz 'a very good man to deal with' and voiced optimism that he'd eventually reach 'a good trade deal' with the European Union. But in a riff that is sure to displease Merz and European allies, Trump suggested it might be good to let Russia and Ukraine continue fighting for a while, a marked turn from his many promises to end the war on his first day in office.
Merz did not challenge the president and sat silently while Trump appeared frustrated with Ukraine over its surprise drone attack last weekend that took out a third of Russia's long-range bomber fleet.
'Something happened a couple of days ago,' Trump said, referring to the attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to retaliate, said Trump, who added that he shares the Russian leader's frustration with the attack.
'He's unhappy about it,' Trump said. 'I'm unhappy about it.'
The congenial meeting with a new European leader followed the conclusion of what Trump described as a productive phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which he'd been angling to schedule for weeks. And it was hours after a flurry of executive orders imposing a full or partial ban on travel from 19 countries and launching an investigation into former President Joe Biden's term.
Merz sat back as Trump held court, responding to questions about those matters, as well as the sudden criticism from former special adviser Elon Musk. And he avoided seeing the conversation delve into Germany's internal politics and the administration's oft-voiced frustration over the mainstream's condemnation of the far-right Alternative for Deutschland party, a subject that did not come up during the public portion of their meeting.
But after a lengthy soliloquy blaming Biden for the war in Ukraine, Merz spoke up, praising Trump's instincts to bring peace to Europe while treading lightly around the subject of sanctions.
When Merz reminded Trump that Friday marked the 81st anniversary of D-Day, when American forces invaded France in an attack that eventually turned the tide of World War II, Trump joked that 'that was not a pleasant day for you.'
The German chancellor delicately acknowledged his country's Nazi history before underlining the point he hoped to make. 'In the long run, Mr. President, this was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship.
'We know what we owe you,' he continued. 'This is the reason why I am saying that America is again in a very strong position of ending this war.'
Hinting that he'd prefer to have a deeper discussion once the press had left the room, he added: 'We are looking for more pressure on Russia. And we should talk about that.'
But Trump, who has tried to pressure both sides into peace talks, expressed a new comfort level with the war dragging on and even escalating in the near term — even as he made clear he has no plans to greenlight bipartisan legislation to impose secondary sanctions on Moscow any time soon.
Trump said that the war was like 'two young children fighting like crazy … sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart,' and that he shared that analogy with Putin during their call on Wednesday.
'I said, 'President, maybe you were going to have to keep fighting and suffering a lot, because both sides are suffering before you pull them apart, before they are able to be pulled apart.''
Trump said he planned to wait to further sanction Russia until it became clear that peace was unachievable, suggesting in an aside that he could sanction Ukraine as well in the event that peace talks fail.
'When I see the moment when it's not going to stop, we'll be very tough,' Trump said. 'And it could be on both countries.'
Trump, asked about the sanction legislation sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), claimed a lack of familiarity. 'I haven't looked at it,' he said, while also describing it as a 'harsh bill, very harsh'
Merz demurred when asked if he agreed with Trump's analogy likening the fighting between Russia and Ukraine to two siblings wrestling, emphasizing only that he and the president agree about the importance of ending the war itself.
'We both agree on this war and how terrible this war is going on,' Merz said. 'We are both looking for ways to stop it very soon.'
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