WASHINGTON (Reuters) – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had a productive and good meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, and the two men agreed to strengthen cooperation on trade matters and other issues.
Merz said he and Trump spoke at length about trade issues and tariffs, and he told the U.S. president that Germany – Europe’s largest economy – was ready to take over a greater leadership role with respect to future trade agreements.
“We will send officials to further deepen these topics. We want to reach a mutual solution,” he said, adding that he had also underscored the large manufacturing presence of German automakers in the U.S.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Leslie Adler)
