Washington DC [US], March 3 : President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Friedrich Merz, at the White House on Tuesday (local time), according to the President's daily guidance and press schedule.
The engagement will begin at 11 am (EST) with a formal greeting at the White House, followed by a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office at 11:15 am (EST). The bilateral meeting will be covered by the White House press pool, while the initial greeting will be closed to the press.
The President will then host a bilateral lunch with the German Chancellor in the Cabinet Room at 11:45 am. The lunch will also be held behind closed doors.
The meetings are expected to focus on key areas of US-Germany cooperation, although the official agenda has not been publicly disclosed, amidst the ongoing West Asia, Ukraine-Russia, Tariff, and Greenland conflict.
Later in the day, President Trump will participate in Executive Time at the White House. Later in the afternoon, he is scheduled to hold meetings with the Secretary of Energy in the Oval Office, followed by two policy meetings.
According to DW News Agency, it is a visit that had been planned for a long time, but under very different circumstances. On Tuesday, the German Chancellor will meet with US President Donald Trump amid an escalating conflict in Iran and the Middle East. Merz had a range of issues with him that have been turned upside down by current events.
On Sunday, Merz highlghted that Germany stood behind the US and Israel. He condemned Iran's attacks on the Gulf states, US military bases and Israel, the DW News Agency reported.
But he also said that Germany finds itself in a dilemma regarding the original attacks by Israel and the US. In other words, the attacks are not covered by international law. But, Merz continued, the German government shares "the relief of many Iranians that this mullah regime is now coming to an end."
And given decades of unsuccessful attempts to persuade Tehran to back down on its nuclear and missile program, now is not the time to "lecture our partners and allies." Though Merz did add that the US and Israeli attacks were not without risk, the DW News Agency reported.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor