German Chancellor Friedrich Merz repeated his criticism of the US strategy towards Iran, but said that he is not giving up on cooperation with US President Donald Trump.
On the air of the ARD television channel, the German Chancellor repeated his criticism of Washington's strategy towards Iran and defended his comments that Tehran had "humiliated" the US. At the same time, Merz said that he is not giving up on his efforts to improve transatlantic relations. "I am not giving up on cooperation with Donald Trump," he said.
The German Prime Minister noted that he must acknowledge the different opinion of the US president. "But that does not change my belief that the Americans remain our most important partners in NATO," he said. Regarding the US nuclear involvement, he said, "there are no concessions." "There are no limits to the US's nuclear deterrence obligations on NATO territory. There is not a shadow of a doubt about that," Merz concluded.
On April 29, Trump said that the US was considering reducing its troop contingent in Germany and would make a decision soon. In response to questions from reporters on April 30, the US president suggested that Washington could reduce the number of its troops not only in Germany, but also in Italy and Spain.
The US leader did not specify why the administration might take such a step, but the statement came after Merz criticized the US military campaign against Iran, citing the lack of a clear strategy in Washington. On April 28, Trump accused the German chancellor of "considering Iran's nuclear weapons acceptable." On May 1, U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Public Affairs Sean Parnell announced Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth's order to withdraw 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany. He said the troop withdrawal was expected to be completed within the next six to twelve months.
Merz said he was not surprised by the U.S. government's decision.
"Not everything we've heard in recent days is new. The situation may have escalated somewhat, but that's not news," Merz said.
After meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in March, however, the German chancellor spoke in a very different tone. Merz noted that the American leader had assured him that "the United States will maintain its military presence in Germany." "This is good news, although I did not expect anything else," the head of government stressed at the time. At the same time, Merz denied any direct connection to his dispute with US President Donald Trump over the conflict over Iran. "There is no connection," he said.
Some 38,000 American soldiers are currently stationed in Germany. This is the largest contingent of American forces in Europe.