BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday, a day after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, that he encountered a U.S. administration open to discussion and returned confident that Washington remains committed to NATO.

U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz bonded during an amicable White House meeting on Thursday with talks about Ukraine, trade and troops, but none of the fireworks that characterized other Oval Office visits by foreign leaders.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz successfully navigated a 40-minute meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office without falling victim to the public humiliation the American president has doled out to other leaders — even though both Germany and Europe are two of Trump’s perpetual irritants.