BERLIN - US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel plan to meet Thursday for what are expected to be tricky talks on the eve of a Group of 20 summit.
Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said that "a meeting with the US president is planned before the G20 summit, most probably in the early evening of Thursday".
Transatlantic differences on climate change, trade, defence spending, refugees and other issues are expected to cloud the July 7-8 meeting of world leaders from major industrialised and emerging economies in the northern port city.
Last week Merkel met with key European leaders and vowed to make a stand for climate protection and open markets at the meeting with Trump, who has said he will take the US out of the Paris climate deal and pursue a protectionist "America First" policy.
Merkel said last Thursday that "the differences are obvious and it would be dishonest to try to cover that up. That I won't do."
She also said the US exit from the 2015 Paris climate pact had made Europe "more determined than ever" to make the accord a success. (AFP)