Merz says relations with Trump are good despite Iran spat

The Pentagon announced plans to pull about 5,000 U.S. troops out of Germany. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said a drawdown was expected and emphasised the mutual benefit of the U.S. deployment in Europe, adding that Europe recognises the need to do more to ensure its own security within the U.S.-led NATO alliance. He said the presence of American soldiers in Europe, and especially in Germany, is in the interest of both countries.

Germany now projects defence expenditure to reach €105.8bn (£91bn) in 2027, with overall defence spending at about 3.1% of GDP, including ongoing Ukraine aid and other defence funds.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz tells university students that 'the Americans clearly have no strategy' and that the 'entire nation' is being 'humiliated' by Iran, triggering further exchanges with President Trump.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell says the withdrawal order came from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and that the withdrawal is expected to be completed over the next six to twelve months.

The United States announces the withdrawal of about 5,000 troops from Germany.

In a Saturday night statement, President Donald Trump said: 'We're going to cut way down, and we're cutting a lot further than 5,000.' He did not provide further details.

Nato spokeswoman Allison Hart says the alliance is working with the US to understand the details of the withdrawal decision.

German defence minister Boris Pistorius tells DPA that the US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany was 'foreseeable'; he stresses that the presence of American soldiers in Europe is in the interests of both Germany and the United States.

Nato allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP at the Nato summit in The Hague last year.

Washington decided to reduce its troop presence in Romania as part of a shift in US military focus from Europe to the Indo-Pacific region.

The article notes Germany hosts roughly 35,000 US troops and 20–40 installations; across Europe the US maintains about 65,000–70,000 troops, with Ramstein Air Base and the headquarters of US European Command and US Africa Command underpinning operations in the Middle East and Africa.

German officials signaled that the decision did not come as a complete surprise given the growing rift in the trans-Atlantic alliance, with other European partners expressing concerns about the trajectory of US policy.

Officials characterized Merz's remarks as inappropriate and unhelpful, suggesting the drawdown was a punitive signal to NATO partners not meeting Washington’s expectations.

The Pentagon stated the drawdown would be completed within six to twelve months after a thorough review of US force posture in Europe.

President Trump ordered the withdrawal of about 5,000 American troops from Germany. The drawdown is to be completed over six to twelve months following a thorough review of US force posture in Europe.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly criticized Washington's conduct of the war in Iran, saying the United States entered the conflict 'without any strategy whatsoever' and suggesting Iran was outmaneuvering and humiliating the US diplomatically.

The article notes a post-2022 surge of US forces to Europe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, forming a large American military footprint in Germany and across the continent.

Germany is projected to spend €105.8bn on defence in 2027, bringing defence expenditure to 3.1% of GDP when including other defence funds and ongoing aid to Ukraine.

Hart stated that the US withdrawal underscores the need for Europe to invest more in defence and bear greater responsibility for shared security, noting progress since allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP at the NATO summit in The Hague last year.

NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said the alliance was 'working with the US to understand the details of their decision' regarding the troop withdrawal.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told DPA that the US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany was 'foreseeable' and that the presence of American soldiers in Europe serves both German and US interests; he also called for Europe to take greater responsibility for security and said Germany would work more closely with continental allies.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that the greatest threat to the transatlantic community is not external enemies but the ongoing disintegration of the alliance, urging action to reverse this trend.

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Merz thought it was 'OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon' and that Merz 'doesn't know what he's talking about.'

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told university students that 'the Americans clearly have no strategy' and criticised Iran’s negotiating; he said 'the Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating' in ways that leave the Americans traveling to Islamabad and then leaving without result, adding that the 'entire nation' was being 'humiliated' by Iran.

The article references that allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP in defence at the NATO summit in The Hague last year.

The article notes that last year Washington decided to reduce its troop presence in Romania as part of shifting US military focus from Europe to the Indo-Pacific.

NATO stated that it is working with the United States to understand the decision to cut troops in Germany, according to the article published on May 2, 2026.

The Pentagon announced the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, to be completed over the next six to 12 months. The drawdown would bring U.S. troop levels in Europe back to roughly pre-2022 levels. As part of the withdrawal, a brigade combat team currently in Germany will be pulled out and a long-range fires battalion that the Biden administration had planned to deploy later this year will no longer deploy.

On Thursday, Trump said 'probably' when asked whether he would consider pulling U.S. troops out of Italy and Spain.

Trump announced he was reviewing U.S. troop levels in Germany, a move that surprised German military officials who spoke to Reuters, citing constructive meetings at the Pentagon earlier in the day.

The German government approved key targets for its 2027 budget, including a strong commitment to increase defense spending.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iranians were humiliating the U.S. in talks to end the two-month-old war and that he did not see what exit strategy Washington was pursuing.

Reuters exclusive reported last week an internal Pentagon email outlined options to punish NATO allies that Washington believes failed to support U.S. operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain from NATO and reviewing Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands.

Merkel-stated remarks: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germans and Europeans were not consulted before the U.S. and Israel started attacking Iran on February 28, and that he had conveyed his scepticism about the conflict directly to Trump afterwards.

Trump renewed his criticism of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, telling him to focus on ending the Ukraine war instead of interfering on Iran; this was described as his second broadside of the week against Merz.

Trump said he was considering redeploying some of the tens of thousands of U.S. troops stationed in Germany.

Trump said on Truth Social that the United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time.

President Donald Trump criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday over the war in Iran.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the Iranians were humiliating the United States in talks to end the war in Iran.

The article reports that Europe is weighing a solitary energy policy in response to Trump's Iran strategy, which is described as triggering a global market panic.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, that his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump remains good despite a row over the Iran war, but he reiterated his worries over the economic impact of the conflict. The spat reflects diverging views between the Trump administration and its European NATO allies on Iran and other issues, including the Ukraine conflict.