Germany 'very delinquent' in 2 pc fee to NATO, says US President
Jul 30, 2020
Washington D.C. [US], July 30 : In the backdrop of announcement of withdrawal of over 11,000 US soldiers from Germany, President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) wondered as to why US should protect the European country from Russia.
"Germany pays Russia billions of dollars a year for Energy, and we are supposed to protect Germany from Russia. What's that all about? Also, Germany is very delinquent in their 2% fee to NATO. We are therefore moving some troops out of Germany!" tweeted Trump.
According to a Sputnik report, on Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced that the United States planned to withdraw 11,900 military personnel from Germany and deploy them to other locations.
The move would reduce the number of US troops stationed in Germany from some 36,000 to 24,000.
According to the Sputnik report, the suggested defense budget target for NATO members is 2 per cent of a country's GDP but most European countries fail to meet this target. Trump has been persistently urging NATO member states to increase their defense budgets up to the set level.
