WASHINGTON: Nato said on Saturday it was working with the United States to understand Washington’s decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany as a rift in transatlantic ties deepens over the Middle East war.
The Pentagon’s announcement of the troop withdrawal follows a spat between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said on Monday Iran was “humiliating” Washington at the negotiating table. Trump fired back by saying that Merz “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
It also came as Trump announced that tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union will increase to 25 percent next week over accusations that the bloc did not comply with a trade deal signed last summer.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Friday the withdrawal of around 5,000 troops from Germany was expected “to be completed over the next six to twelve months.”
“This decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground,” Parnell said in a statement.
There were 36,436 active-duty US troops in Nato ally Germany as of December 31, 2025, compared to 12,662 in Italy and 3,814 in Spain.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday the US troop withdrawal “from Europe and also from Germany was to be expected.”
Natosaid it was “working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany.”
“This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defense and take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security,” Nato spokeswoman Allison Hart wrote on X.
‘Why shouldn’t I?’
Trump has made a number of threats to slash US troop numbers in Germany and other European allies during both his terms in office, saying he wants Europe to take on greater responsibility for its defense rather than depending on Washington.
He now appears determined to punish allies who have failed to back the Middle East war or contribute to a peacekeeping force in the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway, which Tehran’s forces have effectively closed. Trump also accused German automakers such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW of ripping off Americans, saying on Friday that Germany and “other European nations have not adhered to our trade deal.” Germany would likely be hit hard by a sharp vehicle tariff because it is responsible for a significant portion of EU auto exports.
Such tariffs would impose “enormous costs on the Germany and European automobile industry,” the head of Germany’s VDA lobby group for the sector, Hildegard Mueller, said in a statement sent to AFP. She called for an “urgent” de-escalation and speedy negotiations on the issue.
