Trump's move to pull US troops from Germany comes under fire, Mitt Romney slams it as a 'gift to Russia'
President Donald Trump downgraded his administration’s relationship with Europe on Wednesday, July 29, by pulling nearly 12,000 troops (out of 36,000) from Germany — one of America’s key allies. The move, which was announced by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, was disapproved of by many Republicans, Democrats and former top military officials as something that would help Russia and hurt Washington’s security and military readiness.
They were also worried that while massive taxpayers’ money will be spent, the US would find itself having a strained relationship with Germany, NATO and overall Europe. German officials also expressed concerns. The US described the decision to withdraw the troops as a "strategic" repositioning of its forces in the European continent. While 6,400 troops will head back home, the rest will be shifted to other NATO nations like Italy and Belgium. Trump accused Germany of failing to meet NATO targets on defense spending and said the move was a response to that.
Attacking Germany over it paying billions to Russia for energy, the president said in a tweet: "Germany pays Russia billions of dollars a year for Energy, and we are supposed to protect Germany from Russia. What’s that all about? Also, Germany is very delinquent in their 2% fee to NATO. We are therefore moving some troops out of Germany!"
Speaking to the media at the White House on Wednesday, July 29, after the decision, Trump said: "We don't want to be the suckers anymore. We're reducing the force because they're not paying their bills; it's very simple."
GOP, Democratic members slam the move
The move soon faced backlash across the spectrum. Republican Senator Mitt Romney, who is known for his not-so-great relationship with Trump, called the move "a gift to Russia" and a "slap in the face at a friend and ally". He said the consequences will leave a lasting negative impact on America's interests, according to a CNN report.
Texas GOP Representative Mac Thornberry, who is also a ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said aspects of the move were "troubling", CNN added. Democratic senator from New Jersey Robert Menendez, also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Kremlin was celebrating the moment.
Retired lieutenant general Mark Hertling, a former commanding general of US Army Europe, said in a tweet that he was "sickened" by the decision and called it "counterproductive". Retired US Navy Adm. Jim Stravidis, a former top military commander in Europe and NATO, tweeted saying the abrupt withdrawal of the troops from Germany and putting them in countries that spend less in defense makes little financial sense and hurts NATO's solidarity to only make the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin strong.
The report also added that analysts and lawmakers were of the view that Trump simply aimed at punishing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, with whom he shares a frozen relationship, and it only gifted an advantage to Russia, which Europe and the US have battled together over the decades.
German politicians appalled
Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder criticized the US withdrawal plan, saying it served no clear military purpose and would leave the NATO alliance and the US itself weak, DW reported. Last week, Söder joined the state premiers of Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and Rheinland-Palatinate to write a letter to the US Senate and Congress urging them to stop the plan, saying the troops formed "the backbone of US presence in Europe and NATO's ability to act", the DW report added. "We, therefore, ask you to support us as we strive not to sever the bond of friendship but to strengthen it, and to secure the US presence in Germany and Europe in the future," Germany's political leaders said.
Trump has often been accused of going soft on Russia despite the latter being accused of trying to hurt Washington’s interests. Recently, it was reported that the president acted little even after Russia allegedly paid Taliban extremists to kill American troops stationed in Afghanistan. The Trump administration called the reports fake and said the intelligence lacked credibility.