Berlin: German counsellor Angela Merkel will meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
Trump's criticism of Germany over issues ranging from its record trade surplus tos Merkel's liberal refugee stance, as well as his backing for Britain to leave the European Union, has been the issue of tussle.
According to local media reports, Merkel herself underlined that she is travelling to Washington not only as Germany's leader, but also as an envoy of the Europena Union.
The meeting would also allow for an exchange of bilateral and international topics, and transatlantic ties, as we have always stressed, are very important.
Merkel will be accompanied by an army of business leaders, but this time the delegation faces an uncertain reception as Trump advocates for an "America First" policy.
While Merkel is a firm believer in the European Union and globalisation, Trump cheers Britain's departure from the EU and scrapped the TPP free trade deal in his first days in office.
The two also differ on immigration policies - she slammed his ban on citizens from mainly-Muslim countries, while he criticised as "catastrophic" her liberal refugee stance that led more than a million asylum-seekers into Germany.
