German official calls report of Trump’s plan to pull troops ‘unacceptable’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Trump’s reported decision to pull 9,500 troops from Germany is “completely unacceptable,” said Berlin’s coordinator for transatlantic ties, according to Reuters.
Peter Beyer told the Rheinische Post that the White House did not inform Germany in advance before reports of the decision began to emerge, the report said.
The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. government officials, reported on Friday that Trump ordered the Pentagon to reduce the 34,500 service members in the country. A U.S. senior official told the paper that internal discussions have been continuing since September and the move is not in retaliation to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision not to attend the G-7 meeting in Washington.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Johann Wadephul, the deputy chairman of the Union’s parliamentary caucus, said the U.S.'s decision to withdraw troops without consulting with its NATO allies “shows once again that the Trump administration is neglecting basic leadership tasks.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.