Name: Merz meets Trump in DC, divided on Russia-Ukraine war
Uploaded: 2025-06-06T02:42:51.517Z
Duration: 2 min 33 s
Description: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met US President Donald Trump in Washington for high-level talks on the Russia-Ukraine war. During the Oval Office meeting, Merz pressed for greater US pressure on Moscow, urging stronger diplomatic and economic measures.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met US President Donald Trump in Washington for high-level talks on the Russia-Ukraine war. During the Oval Office meeting, Merz pressed for greater US pressure on Moscow, urging stronger diplomatic and economic measures.

Washington

Russian forces have invaded Ukraine from land, air and sea with strikes causing widespread damage. Global leaders have condemned the move and imposed sanctions.

Ukraine Invasion

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Donald Trump held talks in Washington focused on the Russia-Ukraine war. Merz emphasized the need for the US to apply greater pressure on Russia, urging Trump to take a leading role in ending the conflict. Trump, however, was noncommittal about imposing further sanctions on Russia and suggested the conflict should be resolved between the two countries involved.

The meeting also addressed US-China relations, with Trump referencing ongoing trade negotiations and tariffs. The leaders agreed to future diplomatic visits, and Trump commented on his administration's travel ban, explaining Egypt's exemption. Both leaders are scheduled to meet again at the upcoming NATO summit.

Merz meets Trump in DC, divided on Russia-Ukraine war

The Thursday sit-down between U.S. President Donald Trump and the straight-talking German chancellor could have been contentious, but Friedrich Merz was polite, if direct, about what's needed to end the war in Ukraine. We are both looking for ways to stop it very soon. And I told the president before we came in that he is the key person in the world who can really do that now by putting pressure on Russia. Trump insists the two countries must fight it out after admitting on a Tuesday call with the Russian president that Putin insisted he'll retaliate for Ukraine's weekend strike destroying at least 13 Russian bombers. Merz blames Russia for prolonging the conflict and inflicting the most carnage. This is only by Russian weapons against Ukraine. This had never happened with Ukraine weapons against Russia. Never. Asked if this will spur further Russia sanctions, Trump was elusive. When I see the moment when we're not going to make a deal, when this thing won't stop, that moment, yeah, it's in my brain, the deadline. The U.S. president was also vague about his call on Thursday with China's leader, Xi Jinping. We have a deal with China, as you know, but we were straightening out some of the points having to do mostly with rare earth magnets and some other things. I would say we have a deal and we're going to just make sure that everybody understands what the deal is. But China's readout suggests the U.S. must cancel, quote, negative measures against China. The White House has set 30 percent tariffs on Chinese goods to the U.S. China is imposing just 10 percent on U.S. goods to China. Trump added that both leaders accepted an invitation to each other's countries. Trump's travel ban on predominantly North African and Middle East countries got the least pushback, with reporters asking only why Egypt was exempted following a recent attack by an Egyptian national on a pro-Israel protest in Colorado. Egypt has been a country that we deal with very closely. They have things under control. The conversation between the German chancellor and the U.S. president isn't over. The two men will meet again later this month at the NATO summit in The Hague. Kimberly Helkett, Al Jazeera, The White House.

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Merz meets Trump in DC, divided on Russia-Ukraine war

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Ukraine Invasion