【Epoch Times March 4, 2026 Report】(Epoch Times reporter Zhang Ting comprehensive report) On Tuesday (March 3), U.S. President Trump met with German Chancellor Merkel at the White House, with topics involving Iran, trade, and the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump thanked Merkel for supporting the joint combat operations against Iran by the U.S. and Israel. After the outbreak of the Iran war, Merkel was the first European leader to visit the U.S. The U.S. and Germany have long been firm allies, with Germany being Europe's economic powerhouse and the U.S. the primary partner in the NATO defense treaty. Trump said that during the war against Iran, Germany provided assistance by allowing U.S. military planes to land in certain areas of its military bases, but he clarified that the U.S. had not requested German troops. "They allowed us to land in certain areas, and we appreciate that; they simply provided convenience. We did not ask them to send troops," said the president. Trump also stated that he maintains a good relationship with Germany, especially with Merkel, calling her an "excellent leader." Merkel said that both Germany and the U.S. wish to overthrow the current Iranian regime and that he would discuss the subsequent matters after the military operations with Trump. "We are aligned in our stance on overthrowing the dreadful regime in Tehran. As for what happens next, we will talk about that later," Merkel said in the Oval Office of the White House. "We both hope that this war ends as soon as possible," Merkel added, "so we hope that the Israeli and U.S. forces are taking the right actions to end this conflict and truly establish a new government that can return to peace and freedom." Merkel told Trump that he was grateful that Trump met with him during a "challenging time." Besides the Iran war, Merkel's visit to the U.S. also had other priority agendas. He told the media in the Oval Office that he would discuss the Russia-Ukraine war and the U.S.-EU trade agreement with Trump. "We must talk about Ukraine. In fact, there are too many bad people in this world," Merkel said. "This is an issue we must discuss because we all hope that this war ends as soon as possible." On trade, Merkel was urging Trump to resolve the issue of U.S. tariffs on EU goods as soon as possible. An EU assessment found that new global tariffs declared by Trump under another regulation after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) would result in higher export duties on EU cheese and some agricultural products than agreed upon in last year's U.S.-EU trade framework agreement. Trump said that he and the German Chancellor would also discuss the China issue. Responsibility Editor: Lin Yan#