NATO's top commander, General Alexus Grynkewich, said Tuesday that the withdrawal of US troops from Europe will take several years.

The statement comes after US President Donald Trump announced a decision to pull about 5,000 troops out of Germany and cancel the deployment of long-range Tomahawk missiles.

The general stressed that the US withdrawal would be coordinated with European allies' strengthening of their own defense capabilities. "As the European pillar of the alliance gets stronger, this allows the US to reduce its presence in Europe and limit itself to providing only those critical capabilities that allies cannot yet provide," Grynkewich told reporters.

He said an exact timeline is difficult to provide, and the process will take several years. Grynkewich noted that Trump's decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany is the only one he is aware of in the near term.

These comments seemingly contradict an earlier statement by Trump that Washington would reduce the US military presence in Germany "a lot further." The US currently has some 50,000 troops stationed in Germany.

Trump's surprise announcement came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested Washington was being "humiliated" in its war with Iran. The US president has long called for European allies to increase military spending and rely less on the United States.

In June last year, NATO countries agreed to raise military spending to 5% of GDP in line with Trump's demands, with Spain being the only member state to opt out.

Source: www.dw.com