German officials say they were never informed by the U.S. government of plans to withdraw troops, Stars and Stripes reports.
President Donald Trump recently ordered 9,500 U.S. troops to be pulled from Germany by September, according to The Wall Street Journal.
"As of this hour, there is no official confirmation by the appropriate authorities in the United States whether these plans will really be carried out or not," Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said during a press conference in Berlin on Monday. "We're only aware of the information that is in the press."
"The fact is that the presence of U.S. soldiers in Germany serves the overall security of NATO, so American security as well," Kramp-Karrenbauer said during the press conference. "That's the basis of our cooperation."
Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have disagreed on a variety of topics, including defense strategy. Most recently the two have clashed on how to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.
German lawmakers and government officials in Berlin criticized Trump's decision to pull troops out of the country, according to Stars and Stripes.
Kramp-Karrenbauer suggested the biggest impact of the move would be to the people involved.
German-American cooperation is "the basis on which many American soldiers have become a real element within German society, have been well integrated in communities, and play an important role," she said.
Merkel's chief spokesman, Steffen Seibert, also said he was unaware of Trump's directive during a press conference.
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