Germany’s federal government spokesperson confirmed on the 4th local time that German Chancellor Merkel had a phone conversation with US President Trump the day before, focusing on the situation in Ukraine and bilateral trade issues.
It is understood that this call was initiated by Germany, with a focus on enhancing Ukrainian air defense capabilities. Prior to this, the US decided to postpone the delivery of a new round of military aid, including the Patriot air defense system, to Ukraine. During the call, Merkel proposed that Germany is willing to invest in purchasing some of the weapons originally planned for Ukraine assistance from the US and transfer them to Ukraine to fill the current gap. However, there were no clear commitments made regarding related military aid during this call. Additionally, Merkel and Trump also briefly discussed bilateral economic and trade issues.
According to the plan, German Defense Minister Pistorius will visit the United States next week to continue discussions on assistance to Ukraine with the US authorities. (CCTV Yue Jiawen)