By Andreas Rinke, Andrea Shalal, Sarah Marsh and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz bonded during an amicable White House meeting on Thursday with talks about Ukraine,

WASHINGTON (AP) — Germany’s new leader is meeting President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday as he works to keep the U.S. on board with Western support for Ukraine, help defuse trade tensions that pose a risk to Europe’s biggest economy and further bolster his country’s long-criticized military spending.

The two leaders met at the White House on Thursday as they work to keep the U.S. on board with Western support for Ukraine, while helping to minimize trade tensions that present a risk to Germany’s economy.