German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for the lifting of all tariffs between the United States and the European Union in his first telephone call with US President Donald Trump. "I told him that I don't think it's a good idea to escalate this customs dispute,

Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed on the need to quickly resolve trade disputes in their first phone call since Merz took office earlier this week, a German government spokesperson said.

Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said he told US President Donald Trump that he can negotiate trade matters only with the European Union and there can’t be any side deals with individual member states.