Trump insists he has 'very good' relations with Merkel

US President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday he gets on well with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, despite marking the start of a NATO summit with a blistering attack on her country's trade and defence policies.

"We are having a great meeting, we are discussing military expenditure and we are talking about trade," he declared during a meeting with Merkel.

"We have a very, very good relationship," he said.