How did Merz get on in Washington?
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has visited US President Donald Trump at the White House. There had been much speculation ahead of the meeting, especially after Trump's heated discussions with his Ukrainian and South African counterparts, but the atmosphere during the talks was decidedly amicable and hot topics were avoided.
He couldn't have done better
Der Spiegel praises the chancellor:
“Merz had clearly optimally prepared the few sentences that he was able to squeeze between Trump's torrents of words, speaking of close cooperation and common ground, without forgetting to emphasise the Germans' gratitude. Trump was clearly pleased about that and called him a 'very good man' ... . Friedrich Merz had his strongest moments when the subject of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine came up. With skilful flattery, he called Trump the man who could end this war. ... It was just a first meeting for the cameras, without any real substance. ... But Friedrich Merz couldn't have done better on this first visit.”
A revolting charade
For the Frankfurter Rundschau the visit was simply depressing:
“In every respect. Once again, the president showed himself to be a complete egomaniac who only accepts his own confused view of things. Merz wisely went along with this bizarre charade, because otherwise he would only have made things worse. ... No one who cares about democratic and value-based politics can be happy about this. Because Merz also kept silent about certain ludicrous political assessments like those regarding the warring states Russia and Ukraine. Trump compared them to two children fighting in a park, and added that it was better to let them go for a little while before pulling them apart.”
Admitting mistakes and taking a diplomatic tack
Deutsche Welle's Romanian service comments:
“The two promised 'a good trade deal', and Trump hinted that energy could be part of it. Trump claimed credit for 'stopping' the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and pointed out that he had told former Chancellor Angela Merkel: 'We're spending all this money to defend you against Russia, and then you're giving Russia billions of dollars a month. What kind of a deal is that?' That was a mistake, Merz conceded. ... Trump avoided hostile remarks, while Merz opted for diplomacy. ... The conversation shows that, at least at the level of official statements, German-American relations remain solid.”