During German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s first White House visit since taking office, President Donald Trump used the spotlight to pitch Germany on buying more U.S. oil and gas, but he offered no concrete commitments on either additional military aid for Ukraine or new sanctions on Russia. At a joint press conference on June 5, Trump dodged repeated questions about tightening punitive measures against Moscow, instead boasting that he had “ended Nord Stream 2” and promising that the U.S. has such an abundance of energy that Berlin “will not be able to buy it all,” framing future trade deals around hydrocarbons as his preferred lever of influence. Merz, who emphasized Germany’s “duty” to help Ukraine resist Russian aggression, praised Trump as a potential peacemaker but received no timeline or specific pledge on sanctions or security assistance. Trump also likened the war to a fight between two children in a park, suggesting at times it may be “better to let them fight,” a remark that underscored his reluctance to spell out deterrent steps. Energy politics threaded the exchange. Trump, who has frequently cited Europe’s reliance on Russian fuel when pressed on how Washington should pressure the Kremlin, positioned American exports as the alternative to Russian supply. The discussion unfolded against the backdrop of the Nord Stream pipelines—never reactivated after suspected sabotage in 2022—and of a recent claim by Russia’s foreign minister that talks were underway with the U.S. to resume gas flows, a notion Berlin rejects. Merz has said his government will do everything possible to prevent Nord Stream 2 from returning to operation, while in Berlin he later stressed that Trump remains committed to NATO despite a long record of disparaging remarks about the alliance. The meeting’s takeaway was less a shift in U.S. policy than a signal of Trump’s priorities: deepen transatlantic energy trade and keep options open on Ukraine and Russia. For Kyiv, the absence of firm assurances on weapons or sanctions leaves strategic ambiguity at a moment when Ukrainian officials are pressing partners to harden pressure on Moscow. For Europe, the message was that U.S.–German cooperation under Trump may be anchored more in commercial energy deals than in new punitive measures, even as the war and debates over NATO burden-sharing continue to define the broader agenda.