BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2020) About 28 percent of Germans view the partial US troop pullout from the country as something "definitely bad," while nearly 23 percent welcome it as a "definitely good" development, a fresh Der Spiegel poll shows.
Almost 21 percent of respondents consider the US pullout rather bad than good, and 13 percent feel the opposite. Another 16 percent were unable to give a definitive reply.
The largest number of opponents of the withdrawal are supporters of the ruling CDU/CSU alliance and the Free Democratic Party, while most of those welcoming the move back Die Linke party.
In addition, Germans mostly consider US President Donald Trump's claims about Berlin not paying its bills for defense to be untenable, according to the poll.
The survey was conducted by Civey among 5,006 German adults. The margin of error does not exceed 2.5 percent.
In late July, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that 11,900 military personnel will leave Germany in the coming weeks, which is roughly a third of the 36,000 American troops stationed there. Some 6,400 soldiers would be sent home, while the others will be relocated elsewhere in Europe "in a manner that will strengthen NATO, enhance the deterrence of Russia."
