President Donald Trump welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House on Friday for a meeting that could help determine the future of the transatlantic alliance and shape the working relationship between two of the world’s most powerful leaders.
The new US president greeted the long-serving stateswoman at the White House with a handshake upon her arrival before they began talks in the Oval Office. Both leaders described their meeting in brief remarks to reporters as having been very good.
The leader of Europe’s largest economy and the US president were expected to discuss funding for Nato and relations with Russia in their first meeting since Trump took office in January. Asked if they talked about Nato, Trump said the two leaders had discussed many things.
Merkel smiled comfortably in her chair next to the president, who sat with his legs apart and hands together. They are scheduled to hold a joint press conference around 1:30pm EDT (1730 GMT.)
The meeting is consequential for both sides.
Merkel, who officials say has prepared carefully for the encounter, is likely to press Trump for assurances of support for a strong European Union.
Trump, who as a presidential candidate criticized Merkel for allowing hundreds of thousands of refugees into Germany, will seek her support for his demand that North Atlantic Treaty Organisation nations pay more for their defense needs.
Relationship building is a less overt but important agenda item. Merkel had close relations with Trump’s Democratic and Republican predecessors, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, and she is likely to seek a strong working relationship with Trump despite major policy differences and wariness in Germany about the former New York businessman.
“Those who know the chancellor know that she has a knack for winning over people in personal discussions. I am sure that Donald Trump will not be immune,” said Juergen Hardt, a conservative lawmaker who helps coordinate transatlantic relations for the German government.
Trump is eager to see follow-through on his demand that European countries shoulder more of the burden of paying for the Nato alliance, which he has criticised.
He will also seek ideas from Merkel on how to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a leader Merkel has dealt with extensively and whom Trump, to the consternation of Republican and Democratic lawmakers, has praised.
“The president will be very interested in hearing the chancellor’s views on her experience interacting with Putin,” a senior administration official told reporters.
A US official said the Trump administration’s position on US participation in the Paris agreement to curb climate change would likely come up in the Merkel meeting and be further clarified in the weeks and months ahead. Merkel is a strong supporter of international efforts to fight global warming.
Trump has called climate change a hoax and vowed during his campaign to “cancel” the Paris agreement within 100 days, saying it would be too costly for the US economy.
Since being elected, he has been mostly quiet on the issue. In a New York Times interview in November, he said he would keep an open mind about the Paris deal.
Merkel is also likely to press Trump about US support for European security, despite assurances from Vice President Mike Pence about that issue on a recent trip to Europe.
“There is still lingering doubt about … how the US sees European security, and whether the US sees its security and Europe’s security as intrinsically linked and inseparable,” Jeffrey Rathke, a senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic & International Studies, told reporters.