By Nandita Bose, Andreas Rinke and Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on Tuesday, thanking the German leader for his support of the widening U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
Trump, speaking in the Oval Office alongside Merz, told reporters that Germany had been "helping out" by allowing U.S. forces to access certain bases, and drew a sharp contrast to the actions of two other European countries: Britain and Spain.
Merz said Germany and the United States shared a desire to get rid of Iran's current regime and said he would discuss with Trump what happened once the military operation ended.
"We are on the same page in terms of getting this terrible regime in Iran away, and we will talk about the day after," Merz said, adding he would also speak with Trump about Russia's war in Ukraine and the U.S.-European Union trade agreement.
The war in Iran is politically sensitive for Merz, who faces potential backlash at home over Germany's support for the U.S.-Israeli operation.
On Sunday, he expressed no criticism of the U.S. airstrikes but stopped short of endorsing an operation which Trump's critics have said was undertaken without sufficient explanation and the required legal backing in international law.
Trump said Germany was letting U.S. forces land in "certain areas," but that the U.S. was not asking Germany to provide troops. "They're letting us land in certain areas, and we appreciate it, and they're just making it comfortable. We're not asking them to put boots on the ground."
The U.S. president said he had a good relationship with Germany and Merz in particular, calling him an "excellent leader". That marked a big change from Merz's fellow Christian Democrat and former Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump said, adding that he had differences with Merkel over immigration and energy.
FOCUS ON UKRAINE
Merz told Trump he appreciated being able to meet with him during what he described as "challenging times," and said that Ukraine remained a top priority for Europe.
"We have to talk about Ukraine. There are too many bad guys in this world, actually," Merz told Trump at the start of their meeting. "This is an issue we have to talk about because we all want to see this war coming to an end as soon as possible. But Ukraine has to preserve its territory and their security interests."
Trump assured Merz that negotiating a deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine remained "very high" on his priority list, and said he believed the U.S. had plenty of munitions to fight the war against Iran.
Merz left Berlin for Washington as Germany and France announced plans to deepen cooperation on nuclear deterrence, another move by the European neighbors to adapt to changes in the transatlantic relationship amid ongoing threats from Russia and feared instability linked to the Iran conflict.
Fresh on the heels of a visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Merz appeared to have maintained the positive relationship he has forged with Trump over the past year, aided by Germany raising its defense spending.
Trump said the two leaders would also discuss China, which he plans to visit later this month.
Merz, who met with industry executives before heading to the White House, arrived in Washington amid grave European concerns over the legality of the Iran strikes under international law, and deep worries over Trump's threat to pile fresh tariffs on global goods.
Merz was the first European leader to visit Washington in the aftermath of the Iran attacks - which have blocked one of the world's key oil shipping lanes and thrown global air transport into chaos - and the Supreme Court's ruling on February 20 that Trump's emergency tariffs are illegal.
Initially expected to focus on trade, the discussions will be overshadowed by the U.S.-Israeli attack that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other Iranian leaders over the weekend.
Jeff Rathke, president of the American-German Institute, a Washington-based think tank, said the Trump administration did not expect much from the meeting, with no major investment announcements on the horizon.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Andreas Rinke in Washington; Writing by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Ross Colvin, Daniel Wallis, Don Durfee and Alistair Bell)
