Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) said on Wednesday they had agreed to start talks on a possible coalition with Friedrich Merz's conservatives but stressed their support was not automatic and hit out at his negotiating style.

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz, the country's presumptive next chancellor, is set to make a surprise visit to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, days after his CDU/CSU bloc secured victory in national elections.

Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz has opened talks with the Social Democrats over ways to quickly ramp up defense spending before they’ve completed a formal coalition deal, according to people familiar with those discussions.