- Merz says the withdrawal is not linked to his criticism of US policy toward Iran.
- The Pentagon will cut 5,000 troops from Germany, raising concerns.
- The Biden-era missile deployment plan is also considered abandoned.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he must accept that President Donald Trump does not share his views in order to work with the United States within NATO, but stressed that there was no link between his breakup and a planned troop withdrawal.
Merz dismissed suggestions that his criticism of US war plans in Iran had prompted Washington’s announcement on Friday that the US would reduce its military presence in Germany, its largest European base, by 5,000 troops, and reiterated his commitment to the transatlantic alliance.
Merz had questioned whether Trump had an exit plan for the Middle East and said the United States was “embarrassed” in talks with Iran. Trump later called Merz an “ineffective” leader.
“I have to accept that the American president has a different view than ours on these issues. But that does not change the fact that I remain convinced that the Americans are important partners for us,” Merz told public broadcaster ARD in an interview to be broadcast later on Sunday.
Asked if the United States’ plans to reduce its troop presence in Germany had anything to do with the dispute between the two leaders, Merz said: “There is no connection.”
Trump called for a reduced US military presence in Germany already during his first term and has repeatedly called on Europeans to take greater responsibility for their own security.
Friday’s announcement is also seen as a cancellation of a Joe Biden administration plan to deploy a U.S. battalion with long-range Tomahawk missiles to Germany.
This is a blow to Berlin, which had pushed the measure as a powerful deterrent against Russia, while the Europeans develop their own weapons.
Merz said that Trump had never committed to this plan and that the United States was unlikely to give up such weapons systems, adding: “If I’m not mistaken, the Americans don’t have enough of them right now.”
