German finance minister and US treasury secretary Bessent met bilaterally, source says
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 21, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026

Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 21, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met in Canada to discuss transatlantic relations and economic challenges.
By Christian Kraemer
BANFF, Canada (Reuters) -German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil met United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday for a bilateral conversation on the sidelines of the G7 finance ministers' consultations in Canada, a German source in G7 circles told Reuters.
Both agreed to meet again in Washington, with Bessent inviting Klingbeil.
The conversation was a private, open, and constructive exchange and lasted longer than planned, the source told Reuters.
Klingbeil emphasized the importance of close transatlantic relations, especially in light of current geopolitical and economic challenges, the German source said.
Ongoing trade disputes with the U.S. should be resolved as quickly as possible for the benefit of all, Klingbeil said on Tuesday, ahead of meeting his counterparts from other Group of Seven countries.
In his conversation with his U.S. counterpart, Klingbeil also emphasized that the G7 must remain steadfastly on the side of Ukraine.
(Reporting by Christian Kraemer, writing by Maria Martinez; editing by Matthias Williams)
The meeting was a bilateral conversation focused on transatlantic relations and economic challenges.
They agreed to meet again in Washington, as invited by Bessent.
Klingbeil emphasized that ongoing trade disputes with the U.S. should be resolved quickly for everyone's benefit.
Klingbeil stressed that the G7 must remain steadfastly on the side of Ukraine during their discussions.
The conversation lasted longer than planned, indicating a constructive exchange.
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