Deteriorating Relations: Trump Announces Withdrawal of More than 5,000 US Troops from Germany

According to AFP on Sunday (3 May 2026), the Pentagon announced on Friday that it would reduce 5,000 troops. However, the following day, Trump stated that more than 5,000 troops would be withdrawn.

“We will reduce far more, and we will reduce more than 5,000,” Trump said.

Trump did not provide further explanation.

It is known that this step follows a dispute between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who on Monday said that Iran had “embarrassed” Washington at the negotiating table.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the troop withdrawal is estimated to be “completed within the next six to twelve months.”

NATO stated that it is “working with the US to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany.”

“This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue investing more in defence and taking a greater share of the responsibility for our collective security,” NATO spokesperson Allison Hart wrote on her X account.

There are currently 36,436 active US troops in Germany, an NATO ally, as of 31 December 2025, compared to 12,662 in Italy and 3,814 US troops in Spain.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that the US troop withdrawal “from Europe and also from Germany was expected.”

This also coincides with Trump’s announcement that tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union will rise from 15 percent to 25 percent next week, accusing the bloc of failing to comply with the trade agreement signed last summer.