Merz: Trump is ‘key’ to ending the Russia-Ukraine war
The president and the German chancellor met at the White House to discuss issues such as the conflict or trade relations between the US and the EU.
Merz and Trump, at the White House
Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a cordial and affable meeting Thursday at the White House in which they spoke and discussed different issues involving and affecting both countries, such as the conflicts that endure in different regions of the world and the trade dispute between the United States and other countries.
One of the central topics of the bilateral meeting - which was also attended by Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in addition to important figures from Merz's cabinet - was the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump is "the key person" for ending the Russia-Ukraine war
At a time when negotiations to reach peace seem stalled - pending that face-to-face meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian heads of state, Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin with Trump as witness and intermediary-, the president conveyed to Merz that he will be "very, very, very tough" with the sanctions he imposes on Moscow, while he held Kyiv equally responsible for not giving in to his pretensions.
"It’s in my brain, the deadline. We will be very, very, very tough. And it could be on both countries to be honest. You know, it takes two to tango. I want the right thing to happen for everybody," Trump said.
For his part, Merz called for "more pressure" on Russia, while reiterating his support for Zelensky. In addition, the German chancellor defined Trump as "the key person" for the war to end.
Defense spending and trade relations with the EU
Where Merz and Trump were fully in tune was on the issue of defense spending. The president applauded Germany's pledge to raise its military budget, while at the same time showing his desire to reach a "good" trade deal with European Union (EU) countries.
"We’ll have a good trade deal. I guess that will be mostly determined by the European Union, but you’re a very big part of that, so you’ll be involved," Trump said, referring to Merz.
The anecdote came at the start of the summit. Merz gave Trump a picture with a copy of the birth certificate of the U.S. president's grandfather, who was born in Germany and eventually emigrated to the United States. "Fantastic!" stated Trump, as he looked at where to hang it in the Oval Office.
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