Europe’s most powerful leader, Angela Merkel, meets for the first time on Tuesday US President Donald Trump, whose arrival in the White House has sent shockwaves across the Atlantic. While former US president, Barack Obama, had labeled Merkel his “closest international partner”, there has been little known contact between the German leader and Trump since he took office, Thelocal.de reported. A month after US Vice President Mike Pence delivered a message to Europe underscoring the importance of transatlantic ties, Tuesday’s meeting will be scrutinized for clues on whether Trump fully endorses that message. The Washington meeting would also allow for “an exchange of bilateral and international topics, and transatlantic ties, as we have always stressed, are very important,” added Merkel’s spokeswoman, Ulrike Demmer. As in other similar tours, Merkel will be accompanied by an army of business leaders, but this time the delegation faces an uncertain reception as Trump preaches an “America First” policy.

Source: The Local March 12, 2017 22:30 UTC