Germany says it is prepared for possible US troop cuts, stresses importance of transatlantic ties
\n washington
\nUnited States President Donald Trump criticised German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday, saying he should focus on trying to end the Russia-Ukraine war and spend \u201cless time on interfering\u201d with the effort to tackle \u201cthe Iran nuclear threat\u201d.
\nTrump has been sparring with Merz over the war in Iran in recent days. On Tuesday, he said Merz didn\u2019t know what he was talking about after the German leader said the Iranians were humiliating the US in talks to end the two-month-old war.
\nTrump made his comments in a Truth Social post.
\n\u201cThe chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia\/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!), and fixing his broken country, especially immigration and energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran nuclear threat, thereby making the world, including Germany, a safer place!\u201d Trump said.
\nEarlier today, Germany said it was \u201cprepared\u201d for a possible reduction in US troops threatened by Trump, while also stressing the importance of a \u201creliable transatlantic partnership\u201d.
\nTrump had said on Wednesday that the US was considering redeploying some of the tens of thousands of US troops stationed in Germany amid a row with Merz over the war in Iran.
\nSpeaking during a visit to Morocco, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said: \u201cWe are prepared for that, we are discussing it closely and in a spirit of trust in all NATO bodies, and we are expecting decisions from the Americans about this.\u201d
\nAny such decisions would \u201cbe discussed with us and with others, as is proper among allies\u201d, he said.
\nMerz earlier said that Germany\u2019s approach to the war in the Middle East \u201cremains oriented toward a united NATO and a reliable transatlantic partnership\u201d.
\nBerlin was \u201cin close and trusting contact with our partners, including and especially in Washington\u201d, he said, without directly mentioning the Trump threat.
\n\u201cWe are doing this in our shared transatlantic interest. We are doing it with mutual respect and a fair sharing of burdens,\u201d he added.
\n\u201cThis transatlantic partnership is particularly close to our hearts \u2014 both to us as a whole and to me personally, as you know.\u201d
\nMerz became a target of Trump\u2019s ire after saying earlier this week that Iran was \u201chumiliating\u201d Washington at the negotiating table.
\nTrump said on Tuesday that Merz \u201cthinks it\u2019s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. He doesn\u2019t know what he\u2019s talking about!\u201d
\nThen on Wednesday, in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the US was considering reducing the number of its troops in Germany.
\nWadephul said that the idea of US troop reduction was \u201cto be honest, not at all a new message\u201d, adding that the prospect had been raised by previous US presidents.
\nWhile saying he was \u201crelaxed\u201d about the idea of fewer US troops in Germany, Wadephul said that large American bases in Germany are \u201cnot up for discussion at all\u201d.
\nHe said, for example, that the Ramstein Air Base had \u201can irreplaceable function for the United States and for us alike\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Germany says it is prepared for possible US troop cuts, stresses importance of transatlantic ties washington United States President Donald Trump criticised German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday, saying he should focus on trying to end the Russia-Ukraine war and spend \u201cless time on interfering\u201d with the effort to tackle \u201cthe Iran nuclear threat\u201d. Trump […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":544053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-544031","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n