German politicians react with regret to the US government's plans to reduce American troops in Germany. CSU chief Markus Söder sees the trust between the two countries fading.
Munich (dpa) - The debate about a possible withdrawal of US armed forces from Germany worries CSU boss Markus Söder very much.
If this should actually happen, this would be "very, very unfortunate and not a great sign of confidence in the cooperation between Germany and the United States," said the Bavarian Prime Minister in the "Morning Briefing" by journalist Gabor Steingart. In view of the shared values and the past, as well as the "actually very close and good security partnership", it would be appropriate if both sides "speak in confidence" about such questions and Germany does not learn about it, he explained.
According to media reports, US President Donald Trump plans to drastically reduce US troops in Germany. The Wall Street Journal, referring to unnamed US government officials, had reported that Trump had instructed the Pentagon to reduce the presence in Germany from 34,500 soldiers by 9,500. In addition, a limit of 25,000 US soldiers should be introduced, which could also be present in Germany. The federal government reacted to the reports with regret and sometimes with lack of understanding.
Söder emphasized that he and the federal government have so far had no official information on the process. "There's a lot of speculation, let's wait and see," he said. There was always speculation about the withdrawal of US soldiers, which he regrets very much. There is actually a very good relationship.