President Trump said Germany is "captive" to Russia over its energy dependence on the country. He also asked NATO allies to increase defense spending immediately and double their long-term target.
Trump has shown he has no qualms about upending established policies or pacts with global partners, and has explicitly tied security issues to trade and economic ones. That's making allies nervous.
President Trump is heading to Brussels for a NATO summit this week. The alliance wants to present a united front, but Trump has complained that other members are not spending enough on defense.
It matters, because important stories are getting less attention, coverage and prominence than they should — a state of affairs likely to worsen in the weeks and months ahead.
A U.S. service member was killed and two others wounded Saturday. Details of the incident, which is under investigation, were not immediately released.
Both countries claim the name "Macedonia" as their own. After decades of thorny negotiations, the former Yugoslav republic will become the Republic of North Macedonia.
The leaders spoke to reporters at the White House after meetings on Friday in which Merkel was expected to echo many of the concerns about foreign policy raised by French President Macron.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking at a news conference in Brussels, said the alliance was withdrawing the accreditation of seven staffers of the Russian mission.