NATO seeks clarity from US on troop reduction in Germany

Brussels (ANTARA) - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) stated on Saturday (2/5) that they are working with the United States to understand Washington’s decision to withdraw troops from Germany amid the latest tensions between the two countries regarding the Middle East conflict. The move comes after US President Donald Trump criticised German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the chancellor’s statement that Iran is “embarrassing” Washington in negotiations to end the war in the Middle East. On Friday (1/5), the Pentagon said it is planning to withdraw around 5,000 US troops from Germany. NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said in a post on the social media platform X that the alliance is “working with the US to understand the details of their decision regarding force deployments in Germany”. According to Hart, these adjustments highlight that Europe needs to continue increasing its defence investments and taking a greater share of responsibility for collective security. She mentioned that allied countries have agreed to invest 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Hart added that NATO remains confident in its ability to deter and defend as the alliance moves towards what she called a “stronger Europe within a stronger NATO”.