“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” Merz said on Monday.
Trump has threatened for years to draw down U.S. troop numbers in Germany, saying in his first term that he would cut 9,500. He failed to do so before former President Joe Biden entered office, at which point the plan was formally stopped.
Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the move was “anticipated.” Even with the withdrawal, Germany will still host 30,000 American troops. Still, he told German news agency dpa that Germany welcomes the U.S. troop commitment.
“The presence of American troops in Europe, and particularly in Germany, lies in our interest and in the interest of the U.S.,” he said.
As Trump signals a shift in his priorities on Europe, several Republican lawmakers on the Armed Services Committee released a statement this weekend declaring they were “very concerned” over the troop withdrawal.
“Germany has stepped up in response to President Trump’s call for greater burden sharing, significantly increasing defense spending and providing seamless access, basing, and overflight for U.S. forces in support of Operation Epic Fury,” said Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama in a joint statement.
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