BERLIN, May 3 (Reuters) – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he needs to accept the fact that United States President Donald Trump does not share his views in order to work with the Americans within NATO.
Merz rejected suggestions that his criticism of US war planning in Iran provoked Washington’s announcement on Friday that the US would reduce its military presence in Germany, its largest European base, by 5,000 troops.
Merz questioned whether Trump had an exit plan for the Middle East and said the US was being ’embarrassed’ in negotiations with Iran. Trump later called Merz an ‘ineffective’ leader.
‘I have to accept that the American president has a different view on these issues than we do. But that doesn’t change the fact that I remain convinced that the Americans are important partners for us,’ Merz told public broadcaster ARD, in an interview due to air this Sunday.
Asked whether US plans to reduce its troop presence in Germany had anything to do with the fight between the two leaders, Merz said: ‘There is no connection.’
Trump called for a reduction in the US military presence in Germany already during his first term and has repeatedly called on Europeans to take greater responsibility for their own security.
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Friday’s announcement is also seen as a cancellation of a plan by the previous administration, Joe Biden, to send a US battalion with long-range Tomahawk missiles to Germany.
