


Germany’s staid-seeming new chancellor has a mercurial streak
Friedrich Merz’s career is one of unforced errors and puzzling missteps. But he is serious about Europe
WHEN FRIEDRICH MERZ takes office as the tenth chancellor of the German Republic on May 6th, it will mark the culmination of a winding journey full of missteps and tumbles. So often the nearly-man of German politics, the 69-year-old Mr Merz has made no shortage of enemies over his long career—none greater than himself. The centrist coalition he has negotiated will begin its work amid economic and geopolitical tumult, and will be led by a man whose own character makes his approach to the job difficult to predict.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Buttoned-down caprice”

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A mineral deal with America points to a path ahead for Ukraine
Both Donald Trump and Ukraine’s diplomats will consider it a success

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But Russia and Ukraine remain far apart
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Trump and Zelensky attend in Rome with 250,000 others
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