Merz-Trump phone call: Half an hour of probing with invitations

Slight signs of easing tensions in the customs dispute, a willingness to cooperate on the Ukraine issue, and mutual invitations to Germany and the USA: These are the results of the first introductory meeting between the new Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and US President Donald Trump . Government sources subsequently described it as a "remarkably positive, relaxed, and polite telephone conversation."

The conversation took place on Thursday evening, two days after the Chancellor's election and swearing-in in the Bundestag. Trump congratulated him, the German side said afterward. Merz assured Trump on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II that the United States would remain an "indispensable friend and partner of Germany."

The topic of Ukraine took up most of the 30-minute conversation. The two had agreed to close cooperation with the goal of ending Russia's war of aggression, explained government spokesman Stefan Kornelius. The Chancellor shared the President's demand that the killing in Ukraine must end quickly. Russia must now agree to a ceasefire to create space for negotiations. Trump said he wanted to support European peace efforts.

However, there are significant differences between the US and its European allies regarding the path to a possible peace solution. While Trump is pushing Ukraine to make concessions to Russia, countries like Germany, France, and Great Britain are warning against a dictated peace.

The second topic of discussion was the trade conflict between the US and the EU . Trump and Merz agreed to quickly resolve the dispute between the US and the EU, according to the German side. However, a solution is currently not in sight. Just on Thursday, the EU Commission announced that it was preparing to impose additional special tariffs on US exports worth up to 95 billion euros in the event that negotiations with Washington fail to reach a solution.

The current deadline for a solution is July, which marks the expiration of a 90-day period Trump has set for EU offers. If these are insufficient, he intends to impose extensive new special tariffs on imports from the EU. These would be in addition to the special tariffs he already has in place.

Merz and Trump knew virtually nothing of each other before the conversation. They had only met briefly once in New York many years ago. According to sources close to the German government, Merz invited Trump to Germany. Merz also addressed the US President's German roots and mentioned that he knew the hometown of Trump's ancestors: Kallstadt an der Weinstraße in Rhineland-Palatinate. Trump's grandparents emigrated from there to New York at the end of the 19th century.

Trump has indicated that he could imagine a visit to Germany. Apart from stops at the US air base in Ramstein, he has only been to Germany as president for the 2017 G-20 summit in Hamburg.

Trump, for his part, invited Merz to Washington. The Chancellor has already publicly stated that he would like to travel to the United States before the G7 and NATO summits in June, i.e., within the next six weeks. The G7 summit will take place in Canada in mid-June, and the NATO summit will follow shortly thereafter in The Hague.