"Sometimes you let them do better": Trump compares Ukraine and Russia to fighting children

He also explained this to Vladimir Putin on the phone. According to the AP , Trump literally told him: "President, maybe you have to keep fighting and suffer a lot, because both sides are suffering before you pull them apart, before they can be pulled apart. You see it in hockey, you see it in sports. The referees let them have a few seconds, let them fight for a while before you pull them apart."

According to AP, Trump also kept open the possibility of imposing sanctions on both Russia and Ukraine. Merz, on the other hand, appealed to Trump as a "key figure in the world" to put pressure on Russia.

The US President has not yet revealed his position on a corresponding bill from Congress, where impatience is also growing. After another phone call with Putin the day before Merz's visit, Trump declared that he saw no chance of an immediate peace. Despite his constant boasting about his close ties to the Kremlin chief and his long boast that he could end the war within 24 hours, the Republican hasn't been able to accomplish much so far.

Another important issue between Germany and the US is defense spending within NATO. During his first term, Trump harshly criticized Germany for underinvesting in defense. This time, he expressed himself more favorably. "I know you're spending more money on defense now—quite a lot more. That's a positive thing," Trump said.

At the end of June, the heads of state and government of the military alliance will meet in The Hague and will discuss, among other things, their defense spending. Trump has demanded that the alliance partners spend five percent of their gross domestic product. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte then created a compromise formula: 3.5 percent for the military and 1.5 percent for infrastructure such as roads or ports that may be relevant to defense.

Merz has endorsed this proposal, thus already coming very close to Trump's demands. Whether the Republican will ultimately be satisfied with this creative approach remains to be seen. The president did not comment on this at the meeting with Merz either.