On the evening of June 4 local time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will depart for the United States to begin his first official visit to Washington since taking office. According to the plan, he will hold closed-door talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on the 5th and attend related events. The two sides will focus on exchanging views on the following topics: promoting the easing of the situation in Ukraine and the peace process, NATO's response to the current international security situation, and the ongoing trade friction issues between the U.S. and Europe, particularly regarding the recent proposal by the U.S. to raise tariffs on steel and aluminum products. On June 4, the U.S. policy to increase tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% officially took effect $WCT