BERLIN, May 2. /TASS/. Chairman of the Bundestag Defense Committee Thomas Rowekamp said that the planned withdrawal of 5,000 American troops from Germany is "a wake-up call," but not "a reason for panic."
"Security partnership is not a deal, and NATO is not a bazaar. This is why the constant provocations of the American president are unacceptable," Rowekamp told the Rheinische Post. "However, the possible withdrawal of American troops from Germany on the announced scale is not a reason for panic, but another wake-up call."
For Germany, he said this means "first of all, more responsibility."
"We must not let ourselves be led astray; we must resolutely strengthen our own capabilities," said Rowekamp. "Europe must stand on its own two feet in matters of the security policy - and we have already taken this course. Germany assumes this responsibility and will gradually adopt the conventional capabilities of the Americans together with its European partners in NATO."
Representative of the Green Party on defense policy Sarah Nanni called for a coordinated response at the European level. She noted that it is necessary to show "where and how the United States itself depends on Europe to advance its interests." Nanni rebuked German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for "vacillating between getting closer to the US president and distancing from him." She added that it was not too late to change course. "The best approach would be to coordinate at the European level," Nanni said.
