NATO says 'working' with US to 'understand' decision to cut troops in Germany

NATO on Saturday said it was "working" with the United States to understand Washington's decision to slash its troops in Germany by 5,000 following a spat between the leaders of the two nations.

The US move came after President Donald Trump  renewed criticism of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Monday that Iran was "humiliating" Washington in negotiations to end the war in the Middle East.

"We are working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany," NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said on X.

"This adjustment underscores the need for Europe to continue to invest more in defence and take on a greater share of the responsibility for our shared security -- where we're already seeing progress since Allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP," the post said.

"We remain confident in our ability to provide for our deterrence and defence as this shift towards a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO continues."

Germany says US withdrawal was 'expected'

Germany's defence minister on Saturday said the withdrawal of American troops from Germany had been expected and that Europe needed to do more to ensure its own security.

"That US troops are withdrawing from Europe and also from Germany was to be expected," Boris Pistorius said in a statement sent to AFP by his ministry. "We Europeans must take greater responsibility for our security," he added.

The Pentagon on Friday announced the withdrawal of about 5,000 troops from Germany within the next year, the latest rift in transatlantic ties over the Mideast war.

The move came as US President Donald Trump announced that tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union would increase to 25 percent next week, accusing the bloc of not complying with a trade deal signed last summer.

Trump has renewed criticism of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Monday that Iran was "humiliating" Washington at the negotiating table. Trump said Merz "thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn't know what he's talking about!"

On Wednesday, the American leader said Washington was "studying and reviewing the possible reduction" of US troops in Germany, and that he would decide in a "short period of time".