EU Should ‘Reflect’ on Possible US Withdrawal From ‘Role of World Leader’, Angela Merkel Says

• EU Should ‘Reflect’ on Possible US Withdrawal From ‘Role of World Leader’, Angela Merkel Says
  by Oleg Burunov, https://sputniknews.com/
  Last week, US President Donald Trump confirmed media reports that he wants to pull 9,500 soldiers from Germany to bring down the count to 25,000, after accusing Berlin of being “delinquent” in its defence spending. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged European countries to think about a new reality when it comes to America’s global clout.
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  “We grew up in the certain knowledge that the United States wanted to be a world power. Should the US now wish to withdraw from that role of its own free will, we would have to reflect on that very deeply”, Merkel said in an interview with a group of six European newspapers, including The Guardian, on Friday.
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  Touching upon the American troop presence in Germany, she said that it helps to protect “not only Germany and the European part of NATO but also the interests of the United States of America”.
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  The chancellor also singled out Berlin’s military spending, saying that “we have to spend more on defence” and that “we have achieved considerable increases in recent years, and we will continue on that path to enhance our military capabilities”.
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  On NATO, Merkel cited “compelling reasons to remain committed to a transatlantic defence community and our shared nuclear umbrella”, adding that “of course Europe needs to carry more of the burden than during the Cold War”.
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