Germany's Heiko Maas Not Surprised by Uncoordinated US Move to Pull Troops, Sees Relations as Tough

BERLIN (Sputnik) - German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas expressed the belief on Monday that it was not surprising that the United States had not coordinated with Berlin the decision to withdraw troops, qualifying the bilateral relations as "difficult".

"I would say it [US-German relations] is difficult ... As we see that the decision has not been 100 percent coordinated in the US government, it is not surprising that it has not been coordinated with us, either" Maas said, as aired by the broadcaster ZDF.

Earlier, more than 20 Republicans from the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to reject reported plans to draw down the number of US troops stationed in Germany.

In turn, the Russian Foreign Ministry has warned that the already complicated relations between Moscow and NATO might become even worse if the US moves its troops from Germany to Poland, in line with the recent suggestions.

Earlier in June, reports emerged in US media about President Donald Trump's alleged plan to withdraw 9,500 servicemen from Germany, of the almost 35,000 military currently staying there. German cabinet spokesman Steffen Seibert said that the county had not received any official notification from Washington.

At present, 34,500 US troops are stationed in Germany, along with 17,000 US civilians and 12,000 German citizens who work at military bases in that country.