Germany’s new chancellor, Merz, to meet Trump in Washington on Thursday

International Charlemagne Prize (Karlspreis) 2025 in Aachen

BERLIN/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, will travel to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, German and U.S. officials said on Saturday.

This will be Merz’s first visit to the United States since taking office on May 6, and comes amid high tensions between the trans-Atlantic partners over trade and the Russian war in Ukraine.

The visit was confirmed by a German government spokesman and a White House official.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Trevor Hunnicutt; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Toby Chopra)