Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Saturday attempted to minimize the effect of Washington’s decision to reduce its military presence in the country, describing the action as expected and emphasizing Europe’s need to assume more responsibility for its own defense.
NATO stated it was “working with the U.S. to understand the details” of the Pentagon’s decision to remove the troops. The move “underscores the need for Europe to invest more in defense,” NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said in a statement.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth initiated the withdrawal due to “conditions on the ground” following a review of U.S. troop deployment in Europe, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a Friday statement. The reduction would still leave about 33,000 American troops in Germany.
Trump has also threatened to withdraw U.S. troops from Spain and Italy. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Italian leader Giorgia Meloni, similar to Germany’s Merz, have criticized the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump stated he would “probably” remove troops from Italy and Spain. He remarked that Italy had “not been of any help to us,” and accused Spain of being “absolutely horrible.”
Victor Jack, Chris Lunday, and Rory O’Neill contributed reporting.
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