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 is no connection between their differences and the planned withdrawal of American troops from Germany, Reuters notes.
Merz rejected suggestions that his criticism of US plans for Iran had prompted Washington's announcement on Friday that the United States would reduce its military presence in Germany, its largest European base, by 5,000 troops.
Merz had questioned the existence of a Trump exit plan for the Middle East and said the US was “put in an awkward position” in negotiations with Iran. Trump later called Merz an “ineffective” leader.
“I have to accept that the American president has a different vision than ours on these subjects. But that does not change the fact that I remain convinced that the Americans are important partners for us,” Merz told the public broadcaster ARD, in an interview to be broadcast Sunday evening.
Asked if US plans to reduce troop numbers in Germany were related to the dispute between the two leaders, Merz said: “There is no connection.”
Since his first term, Trump has called for a reduction in the US military presence in Germany and has repeatedly insisted that Europeans take greater responsibility for their own security.
Friday's announcement is also seen as a rejection of the Joe Biden administration's plan to deploy a US battalion equipped with long-range Tomahawk missiles to Germany.
The decision is a blow to Berlin, which had championed the measure as a powerful deterrent against Russia as European states develop their own such weapons.
Merz said Trump had never made a firm commitment to the plan and that the US was unlikely to give up such weapons systems, adding: “If I'm not mistaken, the Americans don't even have enough for themselves right now.”
