Germany stresses shared interests after US announces troop pullback

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Saturday stressed that the United States and Germany had shared military interests following the announcement that thousands of US service members would be withdrawn from bases in Germany.

"The presence of American troops in Europe, and particularly in Germany, lies in our interest and in the interest of the US," Pistorius told dpa in Berlin.

At the same time, the German minister made clear that the decision was not unexpected and had been "predictable."

"We work closely together with the Americans - in Ramstein, in Grafenwöhr, in Frankfurt and elsewhere - for peace and security in Europe, for Ukraine and for joint deterrence," Pistorius said. The US maintains its main airbase for Europe and Africa at Ramstein in south-western Germany.

He noted that the US maintained other military functions at its German bases for its security interests in Africa and the Middle East too.

Pistorius said it was evident that NATO had to become more European in order to remain trans-Atlantic. "We European must take on greater responsibility for our security," he said.

And he noted that Germany was on the path to doing so, with the German military expanding, materiel being acquired more quickly and infrastructure created.

Pistorius said he would be coordinating future military tasks along with the Group of Five, made up of France, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom, along with Germany.