Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting and leader of the Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) Friedrich Merz, Christian Social Union (CSU) leader and Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Soeder, co-leaders of the Social Democratic party (SPD) Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil, give a statement on the day of their exploratory talks, in Berlin, Germany March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Christian Mang