German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump was dramatically overshadowed by the U.S. leader's spat with Elon Musk. But it was still seen as a win for Merz.

For better or worse, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s much-anticipated visit to the White House became a backdrop to the Trump-Musk meltdown.

The German chancellor had come to Washington hoping to persuade President Trump to play a more active role in defending Ukraine.

The German chancellor, who is scheduled to be received at the White House on Thursday, aims to persuade the American president not to abandon the United States' commitment to Europe – a commitment Merz ties directly to the fate of Ukraine.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who was in Washington on Thursday for his inaugural visit to the White House, has gifted President Donald Trump a copy of the birth certificate of Trump's German-born grandfather,