German State Leaders Urge Congress To Block US Troop Withdrawal From Germany

The leaders of four German states have urged congressional lawmakers in a letter to block American-troop withdrawal from the country.

“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 U.S. presence in Germany and Europe in the future,” the premiers of Bavaria, Hesse, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate wrote in the letter seen by Reuters. The message was addressed to 13 members of Congress, including Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla.

In June, President Trump confirmed plans to withdraw 9,500 U.S. troops from Germany. Trump has been irritated by Germany’s trade surplus and blasted Berlin for not meeting the NATO commitments on defense spending.

"This is completely unacceptable, especially since nobody in Washington thought about informing its Nato ally Germany in advance,” Peter Beyer, transatlantic coordinator for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said in response to the move.

Trump has said he would send “some” of the 9,500 troops to Poland. In late June, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a defense cooperation agreement with the U.S.

Duda has pushed for more troops in order to protect his country from Russian aggression in the region. In 2019, Duda requested that Trump set up a permanent military base in Poland, suggesting that the facility be called “Fort Trump.”

Poland has been increasingly wary of Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. In 2014, Russia managed to annex the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine. As a result, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia.

Although Trump and Duda have had a warm relationship, Trump has not been close to Merkel. Trump has previously criticized Merkel for her decision to allow thousands of Syrian refugees to seek asylum in Germany.