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Germany’s Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, on Saturday said the withdrawal of American troops from the country was anticipated, stressing that Europe must assume greater responsibility for its own security.
Pistorius, in a statement sent to AFP by his ministry, said, ” US troops withdrawing from Europe and also from Germany was to be expected.”
“We Europeans must take greater responsibility for our security,” he added.
His remarks followed an announcement by the Pentagon on Friday that about 5,000 US troops would be withdrawn from Germany within the next year, a move showing growing strains in transatlantic relations as broader political and trade tensions heighten.
The development comes alongside renewed friction between Washington and Brussels, including a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to raise tariffs on European Union cars and trucks to 25 per cent, citing non-compliance with a trade agreement signed last summer.
Trump has also intensified criticism of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over recent comments on Iran, accusing him of misunderstanding US policy and nuclear concerns.
Trump said Merz “thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”
On Wednesday, the US president said Washington was studying and reviewing the possible reduction of US troops in Germany, and that he would decide in a “short period of time”.
