US President Donald Trump followed through on his threats and gave the order to withdraw five thousand American soldiers from Germany over the next six to twelve months. The decision was reportedly made by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and represents a significant escalation of tensions between Washington and Berlin, which peaked with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's criticism of American policy toward Iran. seznamzpravy.cz ↗
Trump repeatedly criticized Merz for his stance on the Middle East region and claimed that the German chancellor had no idea about his own position. The American president urged Merz to focus on his own problems, specifically the war in Ukraine, and criticized Germany for insufficient support of American objectives in Iran. Trump also floated the idea of withdrawing troops from Italy and Spain as well, accusing these countries of insufficient support. teraz.sk ↗
German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil sharply stood up for Merz and rejected the American advice. According to Klingbeil, Europe does not need instructions from Donald Trump and should not be dependent on his moods. Klingbeil also criticized Trump's decisions and declared that he should see the consequences of his actions. Chancellor Merz attempted to ease the tension, emphasizing his personal commitment to good transatlantic relations and confirming Germany's unchanged obligations toward NATO. forum24.cz ↗
The German Foreign Ministry, through Minister Johann Wadephul, announced that Germany is prepared for a possible reduction in the number of American soldiers and emphasized that key bases such as Ramstein will remain unchanged. The withdrawal of five thousand soldiers would return the American presence to the level before the invasion of Ukraine. Currently, approximately 39 thousand American soldiers are deployed in Germany. Political scientists emphasize that this step represents a serious intervention in European security architecture and Euro-Atlantic stability. aktuality.sk ↗
Trump made the decision to withdraw five thousand soldiers from Germany, Klingbeil stood behind Merz
On Record
👤
Lars Klingbeil
Spolkový minister financií Nemecka
23.06.2026
„gute Grundlage"
Hodnotenie reformných návrhov dôchodkovej komisie
👤
Pete Hegseth
Minister obrany USA
18.06.2026
„J’annonce aujourd’hui un réexamen de six mois (...) qui étudiera la présence des forces américaines et leur implantation en Europe"
Oznámenie preskúmania americkej vojenskej prítomnosti v Európe
👤
Friedrich Merz
Kancelár Nemecka
17.06.2026
„Tag der Hoffnung"
Hodnotenie vývoja na summite G7 vo vzťahu k Ukrajine
👤
Pete Hegseth
Minister obrany USA
06.06.2026
„oggi su spiagge europee nuova invasione, l'Europa agirà?"
Prejav pri oslavách výročia vylodenia v Normandii
👤
Friedrich Merz
Kancelár Nemecka
20.03.2026
„Čo sa dnes stalo v Rade, je neprijateľné a v budúcnosti sa tomu zabráni. Je to akt vážnej nelojality."
Tlačová konferencia po summite EÚ, reakcia na Orbánovo veto
This summary was generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies. Please verify information in the original sources below.
Sources (14)
Berlín je pripravený na prípadné zníženie počtu amerických vojakov v Nemecku
SITA
| 17:27 30.04.
Nemecko je pripravené na odchod časti amerických vojakov. Berlín uisťuje, že kľúčové základne ako Ramstein zostanú
aktuality.sk
| 16:57 30.04.
Roztržka Trumpa s Merzom sa stupňuje. USA zvažujú stiahnutie vojakov z Nemecka, kancelár má riešiť „zbankrotovanú krajinu“
pravda.sk
| 16:49 30.04.
Nepotřebujeme Trumpovy rady: vicekancléř Klingbeil se postavil za Merze
forum24.cz
| 05:00 02.05.
Lars Klingbeil: Haushaltsplan der Regierung stößt auf harte Kritik
Spiegel.de
| 07:16 30.04.
Groźba Donalda Trumpa wobec Niemiec stanie się faktem. Podsumowanie nocy
Onet Wiadomosci
| 05:38 02.05.
US to cut troop levels in Germany by 5,000 amid Trump spat with Merz
BBC World
| 00:06 02.05.
Militär: USA kündigen Abzug von 5.000 Soldaten aus Deutschland an
Die Zeit
| 00:04 02.05.
Trump vážně zvažuje stažení amerických vojáků z Itálie a Španělska
seznamzpravy.cz
| 14:40 01.05.
Lars Klingbeil wettert gegen Trump: »Der soll sehen, welche Scherbenhaufen er angerichtet hat«
Spiegel.de
| 14:16 01.05.
US-Truppen in Deutschland: Army, go home? Was ein US-Truppenabzug für Deutschland bedeuten würde
Die Zeit
| 17:21 30.04.
Wadephul: Nemecko je pripravené na zníženie počtu amerických vojakov
teraz.sk
| 17:09 30.04.
Friedrich Merz und Lars Klingbeil beim Heer: Es rummst gewaltig
Spiegel.de
| 17:02 30.04.
Spojené štáty zvažujú zníženie počtu vojakov v Nemecku
svet.sme.sk
| 06:23 30.04.
This article is part of an ongoing tracker
Trump weighs cutting US troop numbers in Germany
Indicators completed by this article:
- ✅ Trump or the Pentagon announces a specific timing and scale for the cut (numbers, bases, timeframe)
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