Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting and leader of the Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) Friedrich Merz and co-leader of the Social Democratic party (SPD) Lars Klingbeil leave after giving a statement with Bavarian state premier and leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU) Markus Soeder and co-leader of the SPD Saskia Esken, after exploratory talks in Berlin, Germany March 8, 2025. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse