Before the planned meeting between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, the German government hopes for a clear stance from the president on U.S. trade policy, the war in Ukraine, and the NATO Article 5 “assistance clause”.
“Germany wants the United States to guarantee security for trade and investment and to provide a durable commitment in support of Ukraine. A renewed, unequivocal pledge from President Trump to Article 5 of the NATO treaty-that is, the assistance clause-would be very welcome” said Metin Hakverdi, the federal government’s trans‑Atlantic coordinator, in an interview with “Der Tagesspiegel” (Tuesday edition).
“If the chancellor can achieve all of that, his visit would be a huge success”.
Hakverdi also expects the chancellor to address Europe’s security situation, particularly Russia’s war in Ukraine, and to discuss issues of trade and mutual investment protection. Trump has repeatedly linked “security and trade” in his brief presidency. Hakverdi described the United States as placing Germany “firmly in focus” and added that all U.S. political actors-in the White House and both parties in Congress-rely on and expect German leadership. “Germany is the largest economic power and will steer Europe into a secure future” he added.
He does not expect Trump to demand stronger U.S. engagement in the Middle East from Berlin. “Germany plays a different role in the Middle East and is not militarily involved in the current conflict” he said. Hakverdi remarked that the stalled EU‑U.S. trade agreement is not dead; willingness to negotiate remains on both sides of the Atlantic. “The focus is now less about individual tariffs and more about principle: Do the agreements that have been reached hold? Trump sowed doubt in the case of Greenland by suddenly threatening additional tariffs on EU states” he explained. “The EU seeks reliability, not abrupt reversals”.
