Germany says US troop withdrawal 'foreseeable' as Nato seeks clarification

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Germany says US troop withdrawal 'foreseeable' as Nato seeks clarification 10 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Jaroslav Lukiv EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock The US currently has more than 36,000 active duty troops in Germany German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has said the US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from his country was "foreseeable", as the Nato military alliance says it is seeking clarification from Washington. Speaking to the DPA news agency, Pistorius also stressed that "the presence of American soldiers in Europe, and particularly in Germany, is in our interest and in the interest of the US". Meanwhile Nato spokeswoman Allison Hart said the alliance was "working with the US to understand the details of their decision".

Washington's move comes after President Donald Trump criticised German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for saying the US had been "humiliated" by Iranian negotiators in the ongoing war. The US military deployment in Germany - currently at more than 36,000 active duty troops - is by far its biggest in Europe, compared with about 12,000 in Italy and 10,000 in the UK. Trump has also suggested pulling US troops from Italy and Spain.

The Details

Last year, Washington decided to reduce its troop presence in Romania, as part of Trump's plan to shift the focus of US military commitment from Europe to the Indo-Pacific region. There are now growing concerns within the 32-member Nato alliance that the US latest decision could weaken the organisation. "The greatest threat to the transatlantic community are not its external enemies, but the ongoing disintegration of our alliance," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on Saturday.

"We must all do what it takes to reverse this disastrous trend," he added. And two senior US lawmakers from Trump's Republican party said that they were "very concerned by the decision to withdraw a US brigade from Germany". "Rather than withdrawing forces from the continent altogether, it is in the US interest to maintain a strong deterrent in Europe," said Senator Roger Wicker and Representative Mike Rogers, who chair the Senate and House armed services committees respectively.

What is Nato and which countries are in it? In Saturday's interview with DPA, Pistorius also said Europe must take greater responsibility for its security, and that Berlin would now be working more closely with allies on the continent. "Germany is on the right track," he said, pointing out that his country has significantly boosted its military spending in recent years.

What Experts Say

Trump had previously accused Germany of being "delinquent" because its military spending was well below Nato's target of 2% of economic output (GDP). But that has changed radically under the Merz government, with Germany now projected to spend €105. 8bn (£91bn) on defence in 2027.

Overall, Germany's defence expenditure is set to reach 3.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.