Tino Chrupalla, the co-chairman of Alternative for Germany, told public broadcaster ZDF the move was in line with his party’s program, which seeks the removal of Allied troops and American nuclear warheads from German soil.

The Trump administration intends to bring about 6,400 American troops home from Germany and shift about 5,600 to other countries in Europe. The plan, which Trump has linked to Berlin’s failure to spend enough on its own military, foresees leaving about 24,000 troops in Germany.

“In my opinion this even makes Europe a bit more peaceful,” Chrupalla said in the ZDF interview broadcast Sunday.

He added the withdrawal of U.S. troops “can be a signal toward Russia.”

His comments echo those of Germany’s ex-communist Left party, which has praised the U.S. move. Both parties have close ties to Moscow, which considers the presence of U.S. troops in Europe an affront to its interests.

Chrupalla said he also favors lifting economic sanctions imposed on Russia over its 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

Alternative for Germany entered the national parliament for the first time in 2017, coming third with 12.6% of the vote. The party has recently lost traction in opinion polls amid infighting over suspected extremist links among some of its members and a surge in support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: https://apnews.com/fe31444860e129d4d4241e93cb37bfe6

The post German far-right leader welcomes US troop withdrawal first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The removal order would reduce the U.S. troop presence in Germany by 9,500 from the 34,500 service members who are permanently assigned there. It would also cap at 25,000 the number of American troops in Germany at any one time. Under current practice, overall troop levels can rise to as high as 52,000 as units rotate in and out or take part in training exercises.

GERMANY’S MERKEL ACCUSES RUSSIA OF HACKING HER EMAIL ACCOUNT

The Trump administration ordered the change in a memorandum signed recently by White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien, the officials said Friday.

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, is welcomed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the first day of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany, Friday, July 7, 2017. (Associated Press)

---

The decision drew criticism from some former senior defense officials and lawmakers concerned that it would further weaken a key alliance and empower U.S. adversaries. Moscow is likely to welcome the open display of differences between two key North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, U.S. experts said, though Russia didn’t comment publicly on the development.

One senior U.S. official said that the administration has been discussing the move since September and that it isn’t linked to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision not to attend a G-7 meeting Mr. Trump was to host in Washington at the end of June.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But the official acknowledged that it reflected the Trump administration’s long frustration with German policy, especially the nation’s level of military spending and its insistence on completing the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will channel Russian gas directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/us/trump-directs-pentagon-to-pull-9500-us-troops-from-germany-by-september

The post Trump directs Pentagon to pull 9,500 US troops from Germany by September first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.