Merz meets Trump: expectations steamed, but new ways for Europe!

Merz meets Trump: expectations steamed, but new ways for Europe!

Washington, USA - Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) listed an important meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday to discuss significant security issues. Merz emphasizes that he wanted to dampen expectations for the conversation because he does not expect a big breakthrough in the war in Ukraine, the trade dispute between the USA and the EU and NATO. Merz is aware that the cooperation between the Chancellery and the White House must be strengthened in these economic policy issues.

Special attention is paid to the war in Ukraine, whose progress is also the subject of the conversation. Merz found that Trump's earlier conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin had remained with no result. In this context, he announced that he would continue to support German financial aid for Ukraine. Before the meeting, President Selenskyj telephoned with Merz to discuss the faster implementation of agreements. Selenskyj emphasized the need for strict sanctions against Russia, while Trump had not yet built any additional pressure on Moscow.

economic relationships and tariffs

Merz also raises concerns about possible mutual tariff increases that could harm the two. Germany is one of the largest investors in the United States, which underlines economic relationships. The current tensions between the United States and Europe, especially caused by Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, are an additional challenge. Trump’s unilateral decisions, such as discussions with Russia without consulting European allies, ensure additional uncertainties about the role of the EU in diplomatic negotiations.

Europe's security is also on the agenda. Merz expressed the wish that Germany would like to become the strongest conventional army in Europe and has changed the Basic Law for Higher Bundeswehr expenditure in the course of these efforts. Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff described the US elections as potentially "change in the world" and warned of falling apart from Europeans in their relationships with America, which could be further tightened by Trump's hardened view of NATO.

The role of NATO and future developments

NATO could face challenges in the future if Trump considered the obligation to assist, depending on financial contributions from the member states. Experts eliminate the possibility that Ukraine could become a member of NATO in the near future, which also complicated the situation. Claudia Major expressed concerns about the independence of Ukraine and warns that Russia has the opportunity to question the independence of Ukraine. These developments could potentially lead to a next war in Europe.

At the upcoming G7 summit in Canada and the NATO summit in the Hague, in which Merz will also take part, the topics of Ukraine and transatlantic relationships will be further discussed. The new NATO general secretary Mark Rutte remains optimistic about the political developments under Trump, but realizes that Europeans may be moved to higher defense spending to protect themselves from the growing threats.

Overall, the upcoming cooperation between Merz and Trump shows that the challenges in relationships between the USA and Europe are complex. The uncertain political situation, especially with regard to Ukraine and NATO, requires a strategic procedure and a strong, independent European understanding of security. Merz does not travel to Washington as a “supplicant”, but would like to confidently represent the European positions and prepare the discussion for the upcoming summit.