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YEREVAN, Armenia — <\/span>European leaders on Monday said that U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s snap decision to pull thousands of U.S. troops out of Germany<\/a> came as a surprise but is a fresh sign that Europe must take care of its own security.<\/p>\n The Pentagon announced last week that it would pull some 5,000 troops out of Germany, but Trump told reporters on Saturday that \u201cwe\u2019re going to cut way down. And we\u2019re cutting a lot further than 5,000.\u201d<\/p>\n He offered no reason for the move<\/a>, which blindsided NATO, but his decision came amid an escalating dispute with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz<\/a> over the U.S-Israeli war on Iran, and Trump\u2019s anger that European allies have been reluctant to get involved in the conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n Asked about the decision to pull out 5,000 troops from Germany, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St\u00f8re said: \u201cI wouldn\u2019t exaggerate that because I think we are expecting that Europe is taking more charge of its own security.<\/p>\n \u201cI do not see those figures as dramatic, but I think they should be handled in a harmonious way inside the framework of NATO,\u201d he told reporters in Yerevan, Armenia, where European leaders are holding a summit.<\/p>\n The European Union\u2019s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said \u201cthere has been a talk about withdrawal of U.S. troops for a long time from Europe. But of course, the timing of this announcement comes as a surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it shows that we have to really strengthen the European pillar in NATO,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Asked whether she believes that Trump is trying to punish Merz, who said that the U.S. has been humiliated by Iran in talks to end the war, Kallas said: \u201cI don\u2019t see into the head of President Trump, so he has to explain it himself.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the weekend, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said that officials at the 32-nation military alliance \u201care working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany.\u201d<\/p>\n European allies and Canada have known since just after he came to office again last year that Trump would pull troops out of Europe<\/a> \u2014 indeed some left Romania in October \u2014 but U.S. officials had pledged to coordinate any moves with their NATO allies to avoid creating a security vacuum.<\/p>\n NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte played down the move, saying that \u201cthere has been at this point disappointment on the U.S. side\u201d about European support for the war on Iran.<\/p>\n Notably France, Spain and the U.K. have declined to give U.S. forces free rein to use bases on their territory to attack Iran. Spain has denied them the use of its airspace and bases there for the war.<\/p>\n But Rutte, who has championed Trump\u2019s leadership at NATO despite the U.S. president’s criticism of the majority of the allies, said: \u201cI would say the Europeans have heard a message. They are now making sure that all the bilateral basing agreements are being implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n Rutte added that European nations \u201chave decided to pre-position assets, key assets, close to the theater for the next phase.\u201d <\/p>\n He provided no details, but the Europeans have insisted they would not help police the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy trade route, until the war is over.<\/p>\n French President Emmanuel Macron said \u201cif the United States is ready to reopen Hormuz, that\u2019s great. That\u2019s what we\u2019ve been asking for since the beginning.\u201d But he underlined that the Europeans are not ready to get involved in any operation \u201cthat does not seem clear to us.\u201d<\/p>\n In another sign of friction with Merz, Trump has accused the EU of not complying with its U.S. trade deal and announced plans to increase tariffs<\/a> next week on cars and trucks produced in the bloc to 25%, a move that would be particularly damaging to Germany, a major automobile manufacturer.<\/p>\n Without mentioning Trump or the United States, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen listed recent trade deals that the bloc has sealed with Australia and India, and is now working on with Mexico.<\/p>\n \u201cWith like-minded friends, you have stable, reliable supply chains and Europe has the biggest network of free trade agreements,\u201d von der Leyen, who is from Germany, told reporters.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Cook reported from Brussels.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n