Trump: "Troop Reduction Due to Lack of Proper Treatment of the US... Germany as an Example"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned reducing U.S. troops stationed in Germany, stating that the withdrawal of forces from several countries is due to those countries not treating the U.S. properly. He reiterated that Germany's failure to adequately share defense costs has been used as leverage in negotiations to propose reducing U.S. troops in Germany.

On the 20th (local time), during a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, President Trump said, "I am pulling troops out of several countries because they do not treat us properly," adding, "Germany is an example."

He continued, "I suggested reducing the number of U.S. troops in Germany from 50,000 to 25,000 because they have not been paying their share for a long time. They are not paying what they owe. They pay 1% instead of 2%, and 2% is already a very small number." NATO member countries agreed to increase defense spending to 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2024, but Germany's defense spending was at 1.36% as of last year, which he pointed out.

Regarding this, the U.S. daily New York Times (NYT) noted that "President Trump's claim is misleading." While President Trump refers to NATO allies' goal of spending 2% of GDP annually on defense and Germany has not met this target in recent years, the NYT explained that this does not mean Germany owes debts, has overdue payments, or is defaulting on obligations to NATO.

President Trump mocked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for mentioning 2030 or 2032 as the timeline for increasing contributions, saying he disagreed, but then praised her as "a very great woman and a very good negotiator." He emphasized, "I asked, 'What about the trillions of dollars Germany owes us?' So, we will watch during negotiations, but in the meantime, we will reduce our troops."

He did not specifically mention South Korea. As the South Korea-U.S. defense cost-sharing negotiations drift amid stark differences, concerns have emerged that the reduction of U.S. troops in Germany might be used as leverage to pressure for a reduction of U.S. troops in South Korea as well.

President Trump resumed campaigning on this day after not holding large-scale rallies for the past three months due to the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.