Politico | Donald Trump, Angela Merkel present friendly front at Japan G20, despite simmering tensions
- Leaders discussed problems in other countries, including Libya, eastern Ukraine and Iran, as well as trade issues between the EU and the US
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by David Herszenhorn and Jakob Hanke on politico.com on June 28, 2019.
In a meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, Trump and Merkel centred their comments on problems in other nations: Libya and the Sahel region of Africa, eastern Ukraine and Iran. They also addressed the trade issues between the EU and the US.
According to the White House, Trump and Merkel discussed “a wide range of issues, including Iran’s dangerous activity in the Middle East”.
The differences in the readouts between the White House’s version and the German chancellery’s hinted at the deep, ongoing stress in US-German dealings. The relationship has soured significantly since Trump took office and began relentlessly bashing Berlin over military spending and what he believes is an unfair trade imbalance.