Open source
If the United States decides to move its troops from Germany to Poland, it should also remove its nuclear weapons from the country. Such advice was given by Dietmar Bartsch, the chairman of the Die Linke Party in the German Bundestag, in response to threats from U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell to withdraw American troops from Germany, Hannoversche Allgemeine reports.
"If the Americans withdraw their soldiers, then they should take their nuclear weapons with them. And, of course, they should take it home, not to Poland. Because this will be another dramatic escalation in relations with Russia, which does not correspond to European and German interests," Bartsch said.
Earlier, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell said that his country could relocate part of its military from Germany to Poland due to the reluctance of Chancellor Angela Merkel to increase military spending within 2% of GDP, as required by U.S. President Donald Trump.
"If the Americans withdraw their soldiers, then they should take their nuclear weapons with them. And, of course, they should take it home, not to Poland. Because this will be another dramatic escalation in relations with Russia, which does not correspond to European and German interests," Bartsch said.
Earlier, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell said that his country could relocate part of its military from Germany to Poland due to the reluctance of Chancellor Angela Merkel to increase military spending within 2% of GDP, as required by U.S. President Donald Trump.
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"It is actually offensive to assume that the U.S. taxpayer must continue to pay to have 50,000-plus Americans in Germany, but the Germans get to spend their surplus on domestic programs," Grenell told the Germany press agency DPA.
Germany intends to increase its defense spending to 1.37% in 2020, but by 2023 this figure would drop to 1.24%.
Eastern European countries such as Poland and Lithuania, fearing Russian aggression after the annexation of Ukrainian Crimea, have already increased their defense spending to 2% of their GDP, receiving praise from Donald Trump. The U.S. president wants Germany to do the same.
Now more than 33,000 U.S. military and another 17,000 civilian employees are deployed at the military bases in Germany.
