German opposition leader and frontrunner to be Germany's next chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to meet US Vice President J.D. Vance for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). The news was confirmed today by a spokesman for his party, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
The American publication Politico first reported on the planned meeting between Merz and Vance.
In addition to the US vice president, the leader of the German Christian Democratic Union will hold bilateral talks with other high-ranking foreign representatives, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the head of European diplomacy Kaia Kallas.
Merz's conservative bloc leads in opinion polls by a double lead over Chancellor Olaf Scholz's German Social Democratic Party, just over a week before the parliamentary elections in Germany on February 23.
Merz reiterated his commitment to supporting Ukraine – a position that Germany has maintained since the Russian invasion almost three years ago.
World political and military leaders will gather in Munich from Friday to Sunday to discuss international challenges and clarify the strategy of the administration of US President Donald Trump towards the war in Ukraine, Reuters notes.