It is a trip that had been planned for a long time, but under very different circumstances: This Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will depart for Washington. On Tuesday, he 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.

Merz: Germany faces a 'dilemma' in the Middle East war

On Sunday, Merz insisted that Germany stood behind the US and Israel. He condemned Iran's attacks on the Gulf states, US military bases and Israel.

But he also said that Germany finds itself in a dilemma regarding the original attacks by Israel and the US. In other words, it is obvious that 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. 

What are 'military defensive measures'?

Later, Merz, together with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, issued a statement saying that the countries were prepared to take "military defensive measures." 

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk on Monday that Germany would not participate in further attacks: "If we have no intention of doing so, then we will not do so. We will not participate," Wadephul clarified when asked, before adding, "for us, it means nothing more than that our Bundeswehr soldiers would defend themselves if they were attacked." There are German soldiers stationed at bases in Jordan and Iraq.

DW chief correspondent Michaela Küfner, who is accompanying Merz to the US, outlined what the chancellor now faces: "Merz says he will not lecture the US and Israel on Iran. That amounts to a complete abandonment of international law as a frame of reference. A historic break." And Trump will tell the chancellor what the US now expects from the Europeans.

Merz must also try to link this to another important issue: ”His biggest challenge will be to make sure that Donald Trump hears his most important concern: that Europe wants to be back at the table for the Ukraine negotiations, because right now, the future of Europe is being negotiated over the heads of Europeans."

Hoping for a different tariff policy

If there is any time left, Merz will also certainly want to talk about US tariff policy. Trump recently suffered a significant defeat when the US Supreme Court overturned key aspects of his tariff policy, including those affecting Germany and the European Union. Merz offered a comment on this last weekend to public broadcaster ARD. "This is an interesting ruling that many expected: that the Supreme Court in Washington would set limits on the government," he said.

But the court's decision left many important and controversial questions on the tariff issue unanswered. As Merz himself pointed out, the ruling only affects the general tariff rate introduced by Trump, not the levies on individual sectors. And Trump has already decided to use a different legal mechanism to impose new tariffs of 10% for most countries, and is threatening new rates of up to 15%.

A more assertive approach pays off

Trade policy is expected to be the focus of the chancellor's talks with Trump. That much was confirmed by government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius at a regular government press conference in Berlin last week: "Perhaps the trip comes at a good time to actually talk directly with the president about the next steps, with a coordinated position from the European Union," he said.

After taking office in May last year, Merz's early dealings with Trump tended to be rather cautious. He counted it a success when his first visit to the White House went largely without hitch, considering the more hostile reception that the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received in the White House around the same time.

Relative detente on the issue of Greenland

At the beginning of 2026, Europeans learned that it pays to take a more assertive stance toward the US president when the European powers presented a united front against Trump's plans to take over Greenland, which belongs to Denmark.

Germany and other European NATO partners assured Denmark and the Greenlanders of their solidarity, and Trump has not pursued the Greenland issue any further for the time being.

The situation in Ukraine remains dramatic

But one major issue still casts a shadow over the rest: It remains unclear whether peace can finally be achieved in Ukraine. Even Zelenskyy now admits that his country might have to relinquish parts of its territory, at least temporarily, if the guns were to fall silent.

Ukraine continues to reject the idea of ceding areas to Russia that Moscow's troops have not conquered. Merz will almost certainly also address the importance of Ukraine in Washington. Russia's attack has now been going on for four years. However, it seems doubtful that Merz will find a sympathetic ear for this issue — especially from Trump himself.

This article was originally written in German.

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