Amid the brewing diplomatic row between Germany and the United States, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on late Sunday that ’the US is and will remain Germany’s most important partner’ in Nato.

Amid the brewing diplomatic row between Germany and the United States, German Chancellor
Friedrich Merz said on late Sunday that “the US is and will remain Germany’s most important partner” in Nato. The remarks from Merz came after US President Donald Trump’s administration announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from the European nation.

“We share a common goal: Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons,” he said on the US social media platform X. The tension between the two nations escalated after Merz criticised the US for lacking an “exit strategy” in the Iran war while saying the Americans were “humiliated” by the Iranian regime during negotiations.

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On Sunday, the German chancellor said that the US will not station
Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany for the time being, stressing that the decision was not linked to his criticism of President Donald Trump.

“The Americans don’t have enough for themselves right now. Objectively speaking, there is virtually no possibility of the US supplying weapons systems of this kind,” Merz told public broadcaster ARD in an interview.

Trump has different plans

Earlier on Sunday, Trump said that the US plans to reduce its troop presence in Germany “a lot further”. “We’re going to cut way down, and we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” he told reporters in Florida when asked about the move.

On Friday, the Pentagon initially announced that it would pull some
5,000 troops out of Germany. However, when asked about the reason behind the move, Trump didn’t explain and said an even bigger reduction was coming.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Germany’s defence minister appeared to take in stride the news that 5,000 US troops would be leaving his country.
Boris Pistorius said the drawdown, which Trump has threatened for years, was expected, and he said European nations needed to take on more responsibility for their own defence.

However, he also emphasised that security cooperation benefited both sides of the trans-Atlantic partnership. “The presence of American soldiers in Europe, and especially in Germany, is in our interest and in the interest of the US,” Pistorius told the German news agency dpa. The remarks from Merz indicate that Berlin is attempting to mend ties with Washington.

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First Published:
May 04, 2026, 08:08 IST

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