German Foreign Minister Says Relationship Between Trump, Merz Remains ‘Solid’

Wadephul said there had been a ‘big misunderstanding’ about what Chancellor Friedrich Merz had said about the U.S.–Iran talks.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul attends a news conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot (not seen) at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris on July 18, 2025. (Abdul Saboor/Reuters) Photo

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has played down tensions between U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, saying that the two leaders’ relationship is “very solid.”

In an interview with Bloomberg TV on May 7, Wadephul said Merz’s government fully supported Trump’s aim to ensure that Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon.

Relations between Washington and Berlin have been rocky in recent weeks, with Trump and the German leader appearing to exchange barbs on defense and security issues.

On April 27, Merz—a conservative who became chancellor last year—said the United States appeared to have no strategy for the Middle East conflict and said it was “being humiliated” by the Iranian leadership.

In response, in a post on Truth Social on April 30, Trump wrote, “The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!), and fixing his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat, thereby making the World, including Germany, a safer place!”

When Wadephul was asked during the Bloomberg interview whether Merz’s comments had been a mistake, he said: “No, I think it was unfortunately a big misunderstanding in what he was saying.

“He was explaining to students in a school how the situation is, and of course, that it is the attempt of Iran to humiliate the American president.”

The foreign minister said it was a “risk” that some observers could misconstrue Merz’s comments, and he said, “So this was unfortunately really a misunderstanding.”

Wadephul—who is from the same Christian Democratic Union Party as Merz—claimed that the chancellor was really warning Iran against trying to humiliate the United States, and the foreign minister said Germany was fully behind Washington’s war aims.

Germany ‘Behind’ US War Aims

“Though it was not our advice to begin this very war, we are absolutely behind the United States in all ... they are doing to prevent Iran to become a nuclear-weaponized power,” Wadephul said.

Earlier this week, Merz played down talk of a rift with Trump after the White House announced a major troop drawdown in Germany.

On May 1, the U.S. Department of War said it would be cutting its presence in Germany by 5,000 soldiers.

“We’re going to cut way down,“ Trump told reporters on May 2. ”And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.”

In an interview with Germany’s public broadcaster, ARD, which was aired on May 3, Merz said, “I have to accept that the American president has a different view on these issues than we do.”

When asked whether the troop drawdown was linked to the row over Iran, Merz said, “There is no connection.”

In his May 7 interview, Wadephul said he believed that “the chancellor and the president have a very solid relationship” and that he hoped they would meet together soon.

‘We Will Find a Solution’

When asked whether he was negotiating with the Trump administration on troop levels, the sale of long-range U.S. missiles, and import tariffs on German cars, Wadephul said he had a good relationship with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom he called a “friend,” and said, “We will find a solution.”

In July 2024, the Biden administration announced that it had reached an agreement with Berlin to periodically deploy surface-to-surface Tomahawk missiles to Germany from 2026.

But in his May 3 interview, Merz said Trump had never committed to this plan, and he suggested that the United States had a shortage of Tomahawks.

“If I’m not mistaken, the Americans don’t have enough themselves at the moment,” Merz said.

Reuters contributed to this report.