Chancellor Merz's Washington Visit: Easing Transatlantic Tensions

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to visit Washington in March amid efforts to ease tensions between European nations and the U.S., particularly ahead of the Munich Security Conference. The visit comes as U.S. Vice President JD Vance criticized European NATO partners, with further discussions to be attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will embark on his third trip to Washington this March, aiming to alleviate transatlantic tensions, German daily Die Welt reported on Friday.

The visit is strategically scheduled just before the Munich Security Conference, a pivotal annual summit for security policy experts, where U.S. Vice President JD Vance recently criticized European NATO allies.

While Vance will not attend this year's conference, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a Congressional delegation will participate in the discussions.

(With inputs from agencies.)