Trump to meet Merkel next week at White House

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House on April 27, the White House said on Wednesday.

The two sides will work together to address a broad range of geopolitical and economic challenges, the White House said in a statement.

Merkel visited Trump last year. Her fresh trip will come three days after French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to make the first state visit to the White House since Trump took office.

Relations between Washington and Berlin have been bumpy, as the two sides have clashed over NATO defense expenditure, trade and the Iran nuclear deal since Trump took office over a year ago.