German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump [Reuters Yonhap News]

The German government stated on April 30 (local time) that it is "awaiting the U.S. decision" regarding the reduction of U.S. troops stationed in Germany, as announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to daily newspaper Tagesspiegel and others, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters during a visit to Morocco that, "We are preparing for this and are in close discussion within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). We are awaiting the U.S. decision."

"Frankly, this is not new information; it has been clear for a long time. It was also announced during the previous U.S. administration," Wadephul said. He added, "It has been a long-stated objective of various U.S. administrations to focus more on the Indo-Pacific region and China."

While he suggested that strengthening European defense capabilities would alleviate the burden on the U.S., he also hinted that the closure of major U.S. military bases is not under discussion, stating that facilities like the Ramstein Air Base in Germany serve "irreplaceable functions for both the U.S. and Germany."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during a visit to an army unit in Münster on the same day, said, "We are maintaining close contact with our partners, including the United States, on all issues," but did not mention the issue of U.S. troop reduction.

President Trump has praised Chancellor Merz, citing his good work on increasing defense spending and implementing tough immigration policies. However, following Merz's remarks on the 27th, "An entire country (the United States) is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership," Trump brought up the issue of reducing U.S. troops in Germany and criticized the chancellor.

Following his statement the previous day that he would decide on reducing U.S. troops in Germany, President Trump wrote on social media on the same day, "The German Chancellor should spend more time ending the Russia-Ukraine war (in which he has been completely incompetent!)."

The number of U.S. troops stationed in Germany is approximately 36,000, sometimes approaching 40,000 depending on rotational deployments and training exercises. This is nearly half of the approximately 84,000 U.S. troops stationed in Europe. Ramstein Air Base, home to the NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM), is the largest air base operated by the U.S. military overseas. It is known that the U.S. used this base as a hub for military aircraft launches and landings during the recent Middle East conflict, and utilized its satellite communication relay facilities to operate drones.