Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Romania are now jockeying to host those troops, POLITICO reported.
Kiesewetter, a former general staff officer in the German armed forces, said he was concerned about U.S. plans to halt the deployment of long-range Tomahawk missiles as part of the troop withdrawal. Although Germany and Europe are aiming to build their own missiles, those efforts are not likely to yield fruit until 2030, Kiesewetter said.
“We will benefit mutually if the Americans bring in these weapons,” he added.
Kiesewetter acknowledged the tense relations between Berlin and Washington but argued that German leaders could have done a better job of calibrating their criticisms of the Iran war.
“Our defense minister and our chancellor have stated that’s not our war,” he said. “Our people see that it is our war when they look to the gas stations. And therefore it would have been smarter or even wiser to say, well, we are ready to support. Indeed we are. We send three ships probably.”
He said he had visited the Pentagon and argued for a strong transatlantic partnership — a partnership that was being challenged by the U.S. approach to the Ukraine war under Trump. In particular, he pointed to the 28-point plan the U.S. circulated in November that included a bullet suggesting Washington would negotiate between Russia and the NATO alliance.
“This was not a surprise for those who are closely with our transatlantic community, but it was a surprise for Ukraine and a pleasure for Russia,” he said. “The United States are the key pillar of NATO, and the key unique selling point of NATO is reliability and predictability. But this way from the United States to show that they are able and willing to negotiate between NATO and Russia, whatever this means, is encouraging forces in Europe who promulgate Russian narratives.”