BRUSSELS, May 4. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump apparently just picked a random number when deciding how many troops the US intends to withdraw from Germany, Euronews reported, citing sources in the United States.
"The figure of 5,000 is a top-line number that Trump took out of the sky because he wanted to do something demonstrative as part of his confrontation with [German Chancellor Friedrich] Merz," an unnamed US official told the channel.
Another source stated that the US President did not provide any details about the troop withdrawal because he "just made this number up."
The publication stated that Washington did not notify its allies about the troop withdrawal, and its announcement took the NATO command by surprise. It is unclear where and how the contingent will be withdrawn and how this will affect the alliance's overall combat readiness. After the announcement of the troop withdrawal, the White House said that the troop presence in Germany will be reduced "a lot further" than the initially announced 5,000, but the US administration did not provide a specific number.
On May 2, Trump announced his intention to reduce the number of American troops in Germany by 5,000. This refers to the withdrawal of approximately 12% of the 38,000-strong US contingent in that country, which is its largest troop grouping in Europe. The US leader did not specify why the administration might take such a step; however, the announcement came after Merz criticized the US military campaign against Iran, pointing out Washington's lack of a clear strategy.