Trump says Germany is 'delinquent' as he announces plan to withdraw 9,500 troops from the country

• Donald Trump says he is withdrawing 9,500 US troops from Germany because the country is "delinquent" in its defence spending.
• The US president has previously criticised Germany for failing to meet a NATO target to spend 2% of its GDP on defence.
• He also said of Germany that "they treat us very badly on trade" but did not provide details to support the claim.
• The move threatens to cause a rupture between Washington and Berlin, which were closely allied under previous US administrations.
• It remains unclear whether Trump will be able to carry out his threat to withdraw troops, however, given likely opposition in Congress from both Republicans and Democrats.

Donald Trump says he is withdrawing 9,500 US troops from Germany because the country is "delinquent" in its defence spending and treats the US "very badly," in a major breach with one of the US's historically closest allies.

Speaking on Monday, Trump confirmed reports that he would cut the number of American troops in Germany by 9,500 to 25,000, claiming Angela Merkel's government was not paying enough towards its own defence budget.

"So, we're protecting Germany, and they're delinquent," he told reporters. "That doesn't make sense. So, I said, 'we're going to bring down the count to 25,000 soldiers.'"

Trump has long been a critic of Germany for failing to pay 2% of its GDP towards defence, thereby failing to meet a target set by NATO for all its members in 2014.

It remains unclear whether Trump will be able to action his threat to withdraw troops, however, according to a Reuters report, given opposition in Congress from both Republicans and Democrats.

The US president also said of Germany that "they treat us very badly on trade" but did not provide any examples.

The plan to withdraw troops, which was first reported earlier this month, threatens to cause a rupture between Washington and Berlin, which have been closely allied under previous US administrations. American troops have long maintained a presence in Europe in order to defend NATO members from the threat of Russian expansionism.

Emily Haber, Germany's ambassador to the US, responded to the news by saying that US troops were stationed in Europe to defend transatlantic security, and insisted German-US relations would remain strong.

"Our cooperation on military and security matters has always been very close and will remain so," she told a virtual think-tank event, according to Reuters.

"U.S. troops ... are not there to defend Germany. They are there to defend the transatlantic security. ... They are also there to project American power in Africa, in Asia," she said.