German president: European NATO allies 'must be able to rely' on US

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday called on the United States to remain a reliable force within NATO, as trans-Atlantic tensions have escalated again over the Trump administration's plans to withdraw thousands of troops from Germany within a year.

European NATO allies are ready to take on a larger responsibility within the defence alliance, Steinmeier said during a visit to Stockholm.

However, they are still in need of US protection, he said. "And we must be able to rely on that."

Steinmeier said the message sent by Washington's announcement made last week had been understood in Berlin.

"The only signal we can and should send is this: the fewer US troops there are in Europe, the more Europe must do for itself," he said.

The US announcement came as President Donald Trump fumed over comments made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accusing Washington of lacking a clear strategy in Iran.

On Friday, the Pentagon announced that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered the pullback of around 5,000 US service members from bases in Germany. However, Trump told reporters on Saturday the number would be higher.

Washington is also believed to be planning to cancel the deployment of medium-range missiles in Germany. 

For decades, there have been dozens of major US military bases in Europe that are of enormous importance to US operations globally, including in the Middle East. In Germany, these include the US European Command in Stuttgart and Ramstein Air Base in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which serves as a hub for the US Air Force. 

US military figures from April showed some 86,000 US soldiers stationed in Europe, including around 39,000 in Germany. The number changes regularly, partly because of rotations and military exercises.