{"id":125180,"date":"2026-05-02T21:28:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T16:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/?p=125180"},"modified":"2026-05-02T21:28:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T16:28:36","slug":"nato-seeks-details-as-us-says-it-will-pull-about-5000-troops-from-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/125180\/","title":{"rendered":"Nato seeks details as US says it will pull about 5,000 troops from Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Web Desk(National Times)- Nato said on Saturday it was working with the United States to understand Washington\u2019s decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany as a rift in transatlantic ties deepens over the Middle East war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pentagon\u2019s announcement of the troop withdrawal follows a spat <\/a>between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said on Monday that Iran was \u201chumiliating\u201d Washington at the negotiating table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump fired back by saying that Merz \u201cdoesn\u2019t know what he\u2019s talking about\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also came as Trump announced <\/a>that tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union will increase to 25 per cent next week over accusations that the bloc did not comply with a trade deal signed last summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Friday the withdrawal of around 5,000 troops from Germany was expected \u201cto be completed over the next six to twelve months\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis decision follows a thorough review of the Department\u2019s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground,\u201d Parnell said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday the US troop withdrawal \u201cfrom Europe and also from Germany was to be expected\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nato said it was \u201cworking with the US to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defence and take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security,\u201d Nato spokeswoman Allison Hart wrote on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u2018Why shouldn\u2019t I?\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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 defence rather than depending on Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s forces have effectively closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump also accused German automakers such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW of ripping off Americans, saying on Friday that Germany and \u201cother European nations have not adhered to our trade deal\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Germany would likely be hit hard by a sharp vehicle tariff because it is responsible for a significant portion of EU auto exports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such tariffs would impose \u201cenormous costs on the Germany and European automobile industry,\u201d the head of Germany\u2019s VDA lobby group for the sector, Hildegard Mueller, said in a statement sent to AFP<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She called for an \u201curgent\u201d de-escalation and speedy negotiations on the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump said on Thursday he might pull US troops from Italy and Spain due to their opposition to the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cItaly has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible,\u201d he told reporters in the Oval Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, probably, I probably will. Why shouldn\u2019t I?\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Thursday during a visit to Morocco that Germany was \u201cprepared\u201d for a reduction in US troops and was \u201cdiscussing it closely and in a spirit of trust in all Nato bodies\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Wadephul said large American bases in Germany are \u201cnot up for discussion at all\u201d and cited the example of Ramstein Air Base, which he said has \u201can irreplaceable function for the United States and for us alike\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Ukraine support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The EU said on Thursday the deployment of US troops in Europe was in Washington\u2019s interest, and that the US was \u201ca vital partner in contributing to Europe\u2019s security and defence\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump, however, took aim at Merz again, telling him to focus on ending the Ukraine war instead of \u201cinterfering\u201d on Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European powers have been on alert since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. A spate of drone incursions in the past year, as well as US promises to move away from defending the continent, have pushed the issue to the top of the agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merz has made national security a priority, announcing unprecedented investments in an army that has been underfunded and under-equipped for decades. He has also reaffirmed support for Ukraine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Web Desk(National Times)- Nato said on Saturday it was working with the United States to understand Washington\u2019s decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany as a rift in transatlantic ties deepens over the Middle East war. The Pentagon\u2019s announcement of the troop withdrawal follows a spat between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-125180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nNato seeks details as US says it will pull about 5,000 troops from Germany - Nation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/125180\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nato seeks details as US says it will pull about 5,000 troops from Germany - Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Web Desk(National Times)- Nato said on Saturday it was working with the United States to understand Washington\u2019s decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany as a rift in transatlantic ties deepens over the Middle East war. 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