内容摘要：And, until Donald Trump's re-election, the US market was booming. While French wines and spirits global exports

And, until Donald Trump's re-election, the US market was booming. While French wines and spirits global exports

"I don't think they've done enough," Mr Logan added. "And I suspect they can't do enough. The White House has to know that 5% is not a goal that any of the major European countries are going to reach.""The question then becomes: What's next?"

Among the potential pitfalls the German delegation faces are the deep disdain that some members of Trump's cabinet - particularly Vice President JD Vance - have for the so-called "firewall" that keeps Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party out of power."If you're running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing American can do for you," Vance told the Munich Security Conference in February.Vance also broke diplomatic norms by meeting the AfD's leader, Alice Weidel, ahead of Germany's snap election that saw the party storm into second place.

Since then, AfD has been classified as extremist by Germany's domestic intelligence service - although the public designation was paused pending a legal challenge.If confronted, Merz is unlikely to concede, having previously called on the US government to "stay out" of Berlin's domestic politics.

While she believes a "Zelensky-style" Oval Office is unlikely, Stelzenmüller said a "worst case scenario" would be something more akin to the visit of Irish Prime Minister Micheál to the White House - an occasion promptly followed by a visit from his political foe, former UFC fighter Conor McGregor.

Subsequent contact with the AfD or Alice Weidel, she added, would be seen as a provocation by Germany.On Wednesday, a delegation of Ukrainian officials including Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak were set to meet with US senators in Washington to discuss arms purchases and efforts to stop the fighting.

In a social media post, Yermak said that the delegation planned to discuss "defense support and the situation on the battlefield", sanctions against Russia and a previously signed reconstruction investment fund.The post also comes just days after a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul between the warring sides ended without a major breakthrough, although they agreed to swap more prisoners of war.

Ukrainian negotiators said Russia rejected an "unconditional ceasefire" - a key demand of Kyiv and its Western allies including the US.The Russian team said they had proposed multi-day ceasefires in "certain areas" of the frontline in Ukraine, although they gave no further details.