The relationship with the United States is "complicated", says the Secretary of State. He is cautious about reports of Donald Trump's plans to withdraw thousands of US troops from Germany soon.
Berlin (dpa) - With a view to the alleged plans to withdraw many US soldiers from Germany, Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas emphasized the mutual interest in the cooperation.
"We appreciate the cooperation with the US armed forces that has grown over the decades. It is in the interest of our two countries," said the SPD politician of the "Bild am Sonntag". "If there is a withdrawal of some of the US troops, we take note of this." Regarding the relationship between Germany and the United States, Maas said: "We are close partners in the transatlantic alliance. But: It is complicated."
According to media reports, US President Donald Trump plans to drastically reduce US troops in Germany. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, referring to unnamed US government officials, that Trump had instructed the Pentagon to reduce the presence in Germany from 34,500 soldiers by 9,500 at present. In addition, a ceiling of 25,000 US soldiers should be introduced, which could also be present in Germany. "Der Spiegel" also reported with reference to its own information about a planned massive reduction in US troop presence in Germany. The White House did not confirm Trump's plans to withdraw.
According to SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich, the alleged US plans could lead to a "sustainable realignment of security policy in Europe". "In any case, the strategic planning of the United States is shifting to Asia," said Mützenich to the newspapers of the Funke media group (Sunday). "Against this background, embedding German security policy in a European environment is even more urgent and meaningful, whereby the challenges are greater than a few years ago." Given the financial burdens of all countries from the Corona pandemic, "opportunities for limiting the military and armament could currently arise," said Mützenich.
The Greens foreign politician Jürgen Trittin accused US President Donald Trump of further burdening the transatlantic alliance with the announcement of a troop withdrawal for campaign reasons. Trittin told the German press agency: "After the imposition of punitive tariffs, sanctions contrary to international law and the determination that Europe is worse than China, this shouldn't surprise anyone on this side of the Atlantic anymore. But it must be deeply disturbing." For election reasons, Donald Trump is "breaking another stone from the wall of the transatlantic relationship".
The Union's foreign policy spokesman, Jürgen Hardt, told "Welt am Sonntag": "Trump is a thorn in the side of the slow rise in defense spending and work on the Nord Stream 2 line." Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) 's refusal to take part in a physical G7 summit before the summer was "obviously not appreciated". The problem is that he is behind US alliance and security interests. The US troops in Germany not only served to defend the alliance, but were also a logistical hub for US engagement in other parts of the world.
The defense spokeswoman for the FDP faction, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, made a similar statement. "US President Trump apparently has no idea that Germany is an important location for the logistics and medical care of the US Army," she said. "Germany is the linchpin for NATO and the US Army, and especially for missions in the Middle East." With a swipe at Secretary of State Maas, she added that the fact that the US administration did not include him in the decision made it clear "how little political weight and influence Maas has in the United States".
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hopes that if US troops withdraw from Germany, some of the soldiers will be transferred to his country. "This will strengthen NATO's eastern flank," Morawiecki told Polish radio station RMF on Saturday. This would benefit the security of all of Europe. The final decision is up to US President Donald Trump, but he expects the contingent of US soldiers in Poland to grow steadily. According to his information, almost 5,000 US soldiers are currently stationed in Poland. However, the Green politician Trittin warned: "If US troops were to be permanently stationed there, the valid NATO-Russia file would be massively questioned." The escalation wheel towards Russia would continue to be turned. "Europe has no interest in this and neither does the rest of the world."
The American President has long called for a fairer sharing of burdens within NATO and has repeatedly criticized what he sees as a lack of defense spending in Germany. Trump had already brought troops from Germany to Poland into play when President Andrzej Duda visited Washington in June last year.
