Trump Criticizes Merz, Urges Focus on Ukraine War

U.S. President Donald Trump criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday via a post on Truth Social, urging him to prioritize ending the Russia-Ukraine war and addressing Germany's domestic challenges rather than commenting on American efforts against Iran's nuclear threat.

In the post, 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!"

The remarks marked the latest in a series of public exchanges between the two leaders amid a two-month-old U.S.-led conflict with Iran. Earlier this week, Merz stated during a school visit in Marsberg, Germany, that the U.S. lacked a clear strategy in negotiations with Iran and was being humiliated by Tehran. "The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilful at not negotiating," Merz said, adding that the Revolutionary Guards were leading the effort. He compared the situation to past U.S. interventions in...