Vance floats US troop withdrawal from Germany because of concerns

His comments, which received a loud applause from the CPAC amount, continue a strong escalation in the approach of the Trump management to transatlantic relationships. The remarks follow a fiery speech that Vance held at the Munich Security Conference at the beginning of this month, where he lambusted the European leaders for their migration policy and the alleged censorship of political dissent.

The address of vances in Munich attracted sharp reactions throughout the European political spectrum when he accused Western leaders of undermining democratic values ​​through mass migration and language suppression.

At CPAC, he also argued that Western governments, especially after the former bidges, had imposed a censor culture that politicians reflected in authoritarian states.

“The Biden government has contributed more to destroying freedom of speech, not only in the United States, but also in Europe, than in every administration in American history,” he said. “Follow Donald J. Trump’s leadership, and these are freedom of speech, limits and sovereignty. That is the future for our common civilization. “

Vances’ comments signal that the Trump administration can be willing to exert direct pressure on Germany and other NATO allies by threatening to withdraw or reduce the military footprint in Europe. Germany organizes around 35,000 US troops, a legacy of security obligations after the Second World War and the deterrent strategy of the Cold War.

While the Trump government has long criticized the European governments that it has not contributed enough to its own defense, Vances’ comments expressly bind the problem with Germany’s domestic politics and not with financial load operation.

A spokesman for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s office rejected it to comment directly, but repeated Berlin’s commitment to democratic principles and European security.

“I would prefer not to react all the time to statements from the administration,” said the spokesman. “I still believe in reason and facts, and I hope that the real facts will be heard in America. And we have to rely on that.”