Trump meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss tariffs, Ukraine
Pres. Trump take questions in oval office
President Trump and Germany's new chancellor held bilateral talks in the Oval office. During the meeting president Trump spoke about Elon Musk, trade talks with China, the war between Russia and Ukraine, inflation and more.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Donald Trump met at the White House on Thursday.
Trump said Thursday that it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia "fight for a while" before pulling them apart and pursuing peace.
In an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump compared the war in Ukraine — which Russia invaded in early 2022 — to a fight between two young children who hated each other.
"Sometimes you’re better off letting them a fight for a while and then pulling them apart," Trump told reporters. He added that he had relayed that analogy to Russian President Vladimir Putin in their phone conversation on Wednesday.
What did Trump and Merz discuss at their meeting?
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The Associated Press reported that Merz emphasized that both he and Trump agreed "on this war and how terrible this war is going on," pointing to the U.S. president as the "key person in the world" who would be able to stop the bloodshed.
During their meeting, Merz gave Trump a gold-framed birth certificate of the U.S. president's grandfather Friedrich Trump, who immigrated from Germany.
Trump and Merz have communicated on the phone a few times since Merz was elected to office on May 6, with German officials telling the Associated Press that the president and chancellor are building a "decent" relationship.
Ukraine
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Merz has thrown himself into diplomacy on Ukraine, traveling to Kyiv with fellow European leaders’ days after taking office and hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin last week, the Associated Press reported.
Merz thanked Trump for his support for an unconditional ceasefire while rejecting the idea of "dictated peace" or the "subjugation" of Ukraine and advocating for more sanctions against Russia. The White House official told the AP that Trump on Thursday will stress that direct peace talks must continue.
FILE-President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
On Thursday, Trump also kept the threat of sanctions on the table — but for both Russia and Ukraine. He said he has not looked at bipartisan Senate legislation that would impose harsh economic punishments on Moscow, but said of sanctions efforts that "they would be guided by me," rather than Capitol Hill.
Tariffs
Another priority for Merz is the country’s economy. Merz wants to make it a "locomotive of growth," but President Donald Trump's tariff threats are a possible obstacle for a country whose exports have been a major strength. At present, the economy is forecast to stagnate in 2025. Germany exported $160 billion worth of goods to the U.S. last year, the AP reported, citing the Census Bureau.
RELATED: Trump calls for 30-day ceasefire in Russia-Ukraine war, threatens sanctions
Trump has gone after the German auto industry, which includes major carmakers like Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, and Volkswagen.
The Associated Press reported that Americans purchased $36 billion worth of cars, trucks, and auto parts from Germany in 2024, while the Germans bought $10.2 billion worth of vehicles and parts from the U.S.
Trump’s 25% tariff on autos and parts is specifically designed to increase the cost of German-made cars in hopes of causing them to move their factories to the U.S.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press, which spoke to a White House official on the condition of anonymity to preview the discussions between President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.