Trump says Germany helping with Iran strikes, thanks Merz at White House

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump welcomed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to the White House on March 3, thanking the German leader for his support of the widening US-Israel war against Iran in talks that also touched on trade and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Mr Trump, speaking in the Oval Office alongside Mr Merz, told reporters that Germany has “been helping out” by allowing US forces to access certain bases, and drew a sharp contrast to the actions of two other European countries: Britain and Spain.

Mr Merz told Mr Trump that Germany and the United States shared a desire to get rid of Iran’s current regime, and said Berlin wanted to see a rapid end to the war. He later cast doubt on whether the US and Israeli military strikes would spark political change in Iran, saying the plan posed some risks.

“This plan is not without risk, and we would also have to bear the consequences,” Mr Merz told reporters after meeting Mr Trump.

The war in Iran is politically sensitive for Mr Merz, who faces potential backlash at home over Germany’s support for the US-Israeli operation.

On March 1, he had expressed no criticism of the US airstrikes but stopped short of endorsing an operation which Mr Trump’s critics have said was undertaken without sufficient explanation and the required legal backing in international law.

Neither Israel nor the US have asked Germany to get directly involved in the conflict, Mr Merz said, adding he had explained to Mr Trump that any such action would require formal German parliamentary approval.

“We are on the same page in terms of getting this terrible regime in Iran away, and we will talk about the day after,” Mr Merz said at the start of the talks, adding that he would also raise Russia’s war in Ukraine and the need to finalise a US-European Union trade deal following Mr Trump’s threats of additional tariffs.

Mr Trump said the US was not asking Germany to provide troops. “They’re letting us land in certain areas, and we appreciate it, and they’re just making it comfortable. We’re not asking them to put boots on the ground.”

The US leader said he had a good relationship with Germany and Mr Merz in particular, calling him an “excellent leader”. That marked a big change from Mr Merz’s fellow Christian Democrat and former Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Trump said, adding that he had differences with Ms Merkel over immigration and energy.

Focus on Ukraine

Mr Merz, keen to maintain the positive relationship he has forged with Mr Trump over the past year, presented the president with a framed replica of a trade agreement signed between the United States and Prussia in 1785, the first-ever trade deal signed by the then-newly constituted United States.

Despite Mr Trump’s praise of the German leader, the meeting threatened to go off the rails when Mr Trump said he would cut off all trade with Spain over its refusal to let US forces use its bases for missions related to the Iran war.

Mr Merz told reporters that he made clear to Mr Trump during their closed-door meeting later that Spain was part of the European Union and could not be excluded from trade deals.

Mr Merz said he also underscored the need for continued support for Ukraine, which last week marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and stressed that Ukraine should not have to accept further territorial concessions.

“We all want to see this war coming to an end as soon as possible. But Ukraine has to preserve its territory and their security interests,” Mr Merz said at the start of his third visit to the Oval Office.

He told reporters he thought Mr Trump had understood the point after he showed him a map of the war-torn country.

Mr Trump assured Mr Merz that negotiating a deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine remained “very high” on his priority list, and said he believed the US had plenty of munitions to fight Iran and sell them to Europe for use in Ukraine.

Mr Merz left Berlin for Washington as Germany and France announced plans to deepen cooperation on nuclear deterrence, another move by the European neighbours to adapt to changes in the trans-Atlantic relationship amid ongoing threats from Russia and feared instability linked to the Iran conflict.

The two leaders also discussed China, with Mr Merz just back from a visit there to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mr Trump is due to visit China at the end of the month.

Mr Merz, who met industry executives before heading to the White House, arrived in Washington amid grave European concerns over the legality of the Iran strikes - which killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other Iranian leaders - under international law, and deep worries over Mr Trump’s threat to pile fresh tariffs on global goods.

Jeff Rathke, president of the American-German Institute, a Washington-based think tank, said Mr Merz made his points succinctly but left without clear answers.

“I don’t think Trump gave an answer that would reassure Germany or other European allies about what the US vision is for Iran’s future and the US capacity to deliver that,” he said. REUTERS