INA-sources
Trump indicated without sharing details that a substantial further reduction of US troop presence in Germany was imminent, just a day after the Pentagon announced a withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers. Trump has also threatened earlier in the week to rollback troops in Spain and Italy.
US President Donald Trump said late on Saturday that Washington will significantly reduce its troop presence in Germany, escalating a dispute with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The Pentagon announced on Friday that it would cut 5,000 troops from its NATO ally withing the coming six to 12 months, and comes after Merz criticised the US-Israeli war in Iran, saying Washington did not appear to have a viable strategy in place.
Asked on Saturday on the reason behind the reduction in troop presence in the country, Trump declined to offer an explanation, instead noting that an even bigger reduction was imminent, as the Republican president seeks to scale back US commitment to European security.
“We’re going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000," Trump told reporters in Florida.
Earlier on Saturday, Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius appeared to take in stride the news that 5,000 US troops would be leaving his country.
Pistorius said the drawdown, which Trump has threatened for years, was expected, and he said European nations needed to take on more responsibility for their own defence. He however emphasised that security cooperation benefited both sides of the trans-Atlantic partnership.
“The presence of American soldiers in Europe, and especially in Germany, is in our interest and in the interest of the US,” Pistorius told German media outlets.
Source: Euro News