WASHINGTON

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held his first official call Friday with newly appointed German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, according to the State Department.

In the introductory conversation, the two top diplomats discussed "shared priorities including ending the war in Ukraine, and the need for European nations to increase defense spending," said the State Department.

Wadephul, a veteran politician, was recently tapped as foreign minister by Chancellor-designate Friedrich Merz after the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) finalized a coalition agreement with the Social Democrats. The CDU/CSU and SPD together secured a governing majority in parliament following February’s snap elections in Germany.