German Defence Minister says EU must shoulder greater security responsibility

Berlin (ANTARA) - German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday (2/5) that the US plan to withdraw troops from Germany was foreseeable and called on Europe to shoulder greater responsibility for its own security. He made the statement in an interview with the German News Agency (DPA) following the Pentagon’s announcement on Friday (1/5) that it would withdraw around 5,000 US troops from Germany, a process expected to be completed within 6-12 months. The move follows recent public frictions between leaders of both countries regarding the war in Iran and a social media post by US President Donald Trump on the troop withdrawal assessment. In the interview, Pistorius stressed that the presence of US troops in Europe, particularly in Germany, is in the interest of both Berlin and Washington. To maintain strong transatlantic ties, NATO must become more “European,” said Pistorius, adding that we Europeans must shoulder greater responsibility for our security.