Merz and Trump in a phone call: what the leaders discussed on Ukraine and Hormuz

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a phone call on Thursday with U.S. President Donald Trump, in which they discussed the war in Ukraine, as well as the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.

According to the German government spokesperson, Stefan Kornelius, the two leaders discussed the next steps toward ending the war in Ukraine. Merz also praised the U.S. Congress for passing the Graham Sanctions Act.

“The chancellor and the president discussed the next steps toward ending the war in Ukraine. Chancellor Merz praised Congress for passing the Graham Sanctions Act,” Kornelius said.

The situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea was also in focus. According to the spokesperson, Merz and Trump agreed that both waterways should be reopened as soon as possible.

“The situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea was also a topic of discussion. There was agreement that both waterways should be reopened quickly,” Kornelius added.

During the call, the two leaders also recalled the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States, whose 25th anniversary was marked last week. Merz also emphasized the special bond between the German and American peoples.

The call was initially planned for last week, on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, but the German government canceled it without giving a reason and then rescheduled it.

The call also came at a moment of recent tensions between Berlin and Washington, after Trump had commented positively on the election result of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

The U.S. president’s comments drew a reaction from the German government. The government’s transatlantic coordinator, Metin Hakverdi, declared: “We Germans decide for ourselves how we deal with migration and also who we vote for. We don’t need advice from the White House on this.”