Germany's new chancellor, Merz, to meet Trump in Washington on Thursday

Berlin/Washington: Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, will travel to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump on Thursday, German and US officials said on Saturday.

This will be Merz's first visit to the United States since taking office on May 6, and comes amid high tensions between the trans-Atlantic partners over trade and the Russian war in Ukraine.

The visit was confirmed by a German government spokesman and a White House official.