Stockholm (dpa, d.de) – Despite tensions with the US and the announced withdrawal of US troops from Germany, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz remains optimistic about NATO unity. “The strength of NATO doesn’t depend solely on troop numbers, but on shared goals – and that unity still exists,” said Merz at a party congress of the Swedish Conservatives in Stockholm. “I have no doubt that the US has a significant interest in having a strong European pillar of NATO at its side, and vice versa.”
The US Department of Defense has announced that around 5,000 of the approximately 39,000 US troops stationed in Germany will be withdrawn. The announcement came amid growing tensions between US President Donald Trump and Federal Chancellor Merz.