Trump talks politics with German chancellor's wife at NATO summit dinner

US President Donald Trump discussed "personal and political issues" with Charlotte Merz, the wife of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during a dinner held on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Bloomberg reports.

According to the agency, Trump was seated next to Charlotte Merz, while the German chancellor sat on her other side and joined the conversation. Merz used the opportunity to improve ties with the US president following recent disagreements over Iran and Germany's defence spending.

A source who attended the dinner said that the atmosphere was "generally friendly." The source also said Trump "had a good conversation" with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Meanwhile, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said he was seated next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska during dinner for heads of state and government.

According to Babiš, the Zelenskyys were given menus in Bulgarian because no Ukrainian-language versions were available.

"It was interesting that the Zelenskyys received menus in Bulgarian, as we later discovered at the table," the Czech prime minister said.

The NATO summit is taking place in Ankara on July 7–8.

By Vafa Guliyeva