German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed in a phone call on Monday that the COVID-19 pandemic and other global challenges can only be tackled through closer cooperation, a government spokesman in Berlin said on Monday, APA reports quoting Reuters.
Transatlantic relations cooled sharply under former President Donald Trump, who attacked Germany repeatedly for its export strength and its relatively low defence spending within the NATO alliance.
After bruising meetings of the G7 group of wealthy nations and NATO with Trump in 2017, Merkel said Europe could no longer completely rely on its allies and the continent must become more independent.
In their first phone call after Biden took office last week, Merkel congratulated him on his inauguration, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
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