Nato chief says US has made no troop cuts ruling

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg has played down concerns that the US will rush to pull thousands of troops out of Germany, saying Washington has made no final decision on the issue.

President Donald Trump has said he is ordering a major cut in US troop strength in Germany, from around 34,500 to 25,000.

Members of his own party have criticised the move as a gift to Russia and a threat to US national security. Germany is a hub for US operations in the Middle East and home to its European command HQ.

“The US has made it clear that no final decision has been made on how and when,” Mr Stoltenberg said on the eve of two days of video meetings between Nato defence ministers.

Mr Stoltenberg has spoken to Mr Trump about the move and says he is also in contact with Germany.

“What matters for me is we maintain credible deterrence and defence and that we maintain the strong link between North America and Europe,” he said.

He underlined that Washington has increased its military presence in Europe in recent years and European allies are spending more on defence.

Mr Trump lashed out at Germany yesterday claiming it did not pay enough for its own defence and branding the Nato ally “delinquent” for not meeting a goal set in 2014 for members to move towards spending at least 2% of gross national product on defence by 2024.

Mr Stoltenberg would not speculate on whether the announcement’s timing had anything to do with the approach of the US elections in November.

The US ambassador to Nato, Kay Bailey Hutchison, said she was unaware of preparations for any possible troop withdrawal.