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Trump reiterates plans of large-scale military withdrawal from Germany

President of the United States noted that Berlin has a debt to be paid to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

President of the United States Donald Trump EPA-EFE/MICHAEL REYNOLDS/POOL

President of the United States Donald Trump

© EPA-EFE/MICHAEL REYNOLDS/POOL

NEW YORK, June 19. /TASS/. President of the United States Donald Trump has reiterated his plans to cut American military presence in Germany saying that Berlin has a debt to be paid to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

In an interview with WSJ, US President Trump said that the United States was set for a drastic reduction in the number of its military personnel stationed in Germany because Berlin owes an enormous debt to NATO.

US President Trump stated earlier this month that he intended to cut the American troops presence in Germany to the number of 25,000 in comparison to the currently overall figure of 52,000 American soldiers deployed in Germany.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced on June 11 that the downsizing of the US military contingent on the German territory would help to ease the military and political tension in the region.

Zakharova said last week that "Such steps would undoubtedly contribute to reducing the confrontational potential and the military-political tension in the Euro-Atlantic region."

Reuters reported in early June citing a US official that President Trump had ordered the Pentagon to cut the American military personnel in Germany, because Berlin had failed to meet the target of NATO's defense spending.

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