WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – US President Donald Trump has praised Germany’s stance on the Iran war and renounced calls for participation in the military action. In contrast to other NATO partners such as Great Britain and Spain, Germany behaved “greatly,” said Trump during the meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. He assured: “We are not asking them to send ground troops or do anything like that.”
Trump, however, sharply attacked NATO partners Spain and Great Britain. “Some European countries like Spain have behaved terribly.” He pointed out that Spain has banned the US from using air bases on its territory.
Strong criticism of Spain: “They were unfriendly”
Trump said that no one can tell the USA what to do or not to do. If the US wanted, it could use Spain’s bases without permission. “They were rude.” And that’s why he instructed his finance minister, Scott Bessent, to stop “all deals” with Madrid. Which agreements Trump was referring to remained unclear at first.
Merz agreed with the criticism of Spain – but only in view of the country’s refusal to stick to the mutually agreed target for NATO defense spending. Merz later resolutely countered Trump’s threats to cut off economic relations with Spain on the ARD “Tagesthemen”. “I told him very clearly: You can’t conclude an isolated contract with Germany or a contract with all of Europe, but not Spain.”
Criticism of Great Britain: No Churchill era
The US President had criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer several times in media interviews in recent days. Now he said, without mentioning Starmer’s name: “We are not dealing with Winston Churchill here.” Trump even twice made the comparison to the legendary British Prime Minister, who bore great responsibility for the Allied victory in the World War. The behavior of the British is “shocking” (roughly: shocking).
According to British media, Great Britain initially refused to allow the USA to carry out attacks on Iran from British bases. It was only on Sunday evening that Starmer gave in and allowed limited use.
Chancellor for regime change: “We agree”
Unlike Spain, Germany has no problem with the USA using the air base in Ramstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, for attacks. However, the federal government has ruled out taking part in the military campaign – unlike France and Great Britain, which are sending warships to the region to defend against missiles and drones. According to Merz, Germany has not yet been asked by the USA or Israel for military support for the attacks against Iran.
In the Oval Office, Merz tried to give the impression that he was largely in line with Trump on the goals of the operation. “We agree that this terrible regime in Tehran must be eliminated,” he said. And he referred to the “day after.” We need to talk now about political perspectives and security structures for the period after the conflict.
Hours later, Merz made it clear on ZDF’s “heute-journal” that after his meeting with Trump he still had a lot of unanswered questions about how things should continue after the war in Iran: “What is your strategy for the day after? Is there any idea of how this country will be governed afterwards?” According to his own statement, Merz noticed a “relatively high level of uncertainty”.
Trump: Ukraine high on priority list
At the White House, the Chancellor also pointed out that efforts to end the war in Ukraine should not be lost sight of. There are too many “bad guys” in this world, he said, referring to the Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Trump assured that his diplomatic efforts to end the war were high on his list of priorities. There is “enormous hatred” between Russian President Putin and his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelensky.
After his meeting with Trump, Merz asked the US President to put more pressure on Moscow and called for Europe to be included in negotiations for a peace solution in Ukraine. “We are not prepared to accept an agreement that is being negotiated over our heads,” he said in Washington.
Joke about tariffs and a slap on the knee
For Merz, in addition to Iran and Ukraine, the customs dispute between the EU and the USA was important at the meeting. Trump reiterated his intention to impose a global tariff of 15 percent on imports into the United States. In addition, his government is continuing to investigate the possibility of imposing different tariffs for different countries.
Trump joked to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who was also present in the Oval Office: “How do we treat Germany? I think you should hit them very, very hard.” The US President gave Merz a pat on the knee. The Chancellor initially remained silent on the subject.
Following the meeting with Trump, Merz said he had urged the US President to conclude the trade agreement. The agreement reached last summer should be signed and put into effect “as quickly as possible”.
Speaking time: 30 to 3 for Trump
Merz’s speaking time in the public part of the meeting was short. He lasted a good 3 minutes, Trump 30. It was similar during his inaugural visit in June last year. But most of the questions were also directed at Trump.
Merz was not received in front of the White House as usual for the eagerly awaited meeting; the Chancellor was escorted through a side entrance. Because the CDU politician was the first head of state to appear in person at Trump’s house after the American-Israeli attacks, the visit also received a lot of international attention.
Trump: Merkel has damaged Germany
As with many similar appointments before, the US President sometimes changed topics wildly. At times he also criticized the former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU). Trump said he had “differences” with her. “I said: You are harming your country with migration and you are harming your country with energy policy.” Merz, on the other hand, is “pretty much the opposite” of his predecessor on both issues, Trump said.
He considers the new Chancellor to be an “excellent leader.” He is a “very successful man” who does a “great” job and has become a friend./mj/DP/zb
