German Chancellor: U.S. Military Withdrawal Unrelated to Leadership Disputes
German Chancellor Merz said on May 3 that the U.S. announcement to withdraw 5,000 military personnel from Germany has nothing to do with his disagreements with President Trump over the Iran conflict.
In an interview with ARD television, Merz stated: "There is no connection."
Handelsblatt quoted excerpts from Merz's remarks.
The German chancellor also noted that a partial withdrawal of U.S. forces from Germany is taking place — a development that had seemingly been widely known beforehand.
Merz said: "This situation may have slightly worsened, but there’s nothing new here."
He added that these are personnel temporarily deployed in Germany by former U.S. President Biden.
Merz emphasized that although he and U.S. President Trump differ on the Iran conflict, the United States remains Germany’s most important ally within NATO.
Source: sputniknews
Original: toutiao.com/article/1864228404238347/
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