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 discussed the Ukraine war and trade rows with US President Donald Trump on Thursday and said the United States remained Berlin's "indispensable" partner, using their first phone call to attempt to heal frayed ties.

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,