By Sarah Marsh, Andrea Shalal and Andreas RinkeBERLIN/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, will hold his first face-to-face talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday in a high stakes meeting in the Oval Office as Europe seeks to stave off looming U.

Germany’s new leader is meeting President Donald Trump in Washington as he works to keep the U.S. on board with Western support for Ukraine, help defuse trade tensions that pose a risk to Europe’s biggest economy and further bolster his country’s long-criticized military spending.

Friedrich Merz is seeking to reassert his country’s role on the global stage, in part by building rapport with President Trump.