Merz downplays Germany-US tensions after troop drawdown announced

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has downplayed tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump following Washington’s decision to reduce its military presence in Germany, insisting there is no link between his criticism of U.S. Iran policy and the planned drawdown. Merz dismissed suggestions that his criticism of U.S. war planning in Iran had sparked Washington's Friday announcement that the U.S. would reduce its military presence in Germany, its largest European base, by 5,000 soldiers, and repeated his commitment to the transatlantic alliance.