Bundes: Berlin downplays US plan to cut troop levels in Germany ⁰

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has downplayed the impact of the US decision to withdraw troops from Germany and Washington’s plans to suspend the deployment of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles in the country, insisting the moves will not weaken NATO’s deterrence in Europe. 

“I have absolutely no doubt that there will be no reduction in NATO’s conventional deterrence capability in Europe,” Wadephul said at a news conference in Athens, Greece, on Monday.

“That will be offset one way or another in any case,” he added.

His remarks came in response to questions about US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany and reports that Washington has dropped plans to deploy long-range missiles in the country.

“We must not overestimate individual measures,” Wadephul said, noting that the troop withdrawal had been widely expected as part of a US global defense posture review.

He also described the planned deployment of US long-range missiles as merely a “temporary measure” until Europe develops its own similar capabilities.

“We will now first seek close dialogue with the United States to determine what decisions have been definitively made and what options we have to consider,” he said.

“And second, we must view this as a new call to develop and make our own capabilities available more quickly. There is simply no way around this.”

Tensions between the German government and the Trump administration escalated last week after Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the American aggression against Iran for lacking a clear exit strategy.

Merz said Tehran “humiliated” Washington with its negotiating tactics.

Merz also cast doubt on a swift end to the conflict, stating: “The Iranians are obviously stronger than expected, and the Americans clearly don’t have a truly convincing strategy in the negotiations either.”

In response, Trump said on social media that Merz “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

The Pentagon subsequently announced it would pull back 5,000 troops from Germany, with Trump indicating that even larger reductions were forthcoming.

US media also reported that the Trump administration intends to cancel a 2024 decision by then-President Joe Biden to deploy a battalion equipped with long-range Tomahawk weapons to Germany, which was presented as a deterrent against Russia.

Source: Press TV