BERLIN, May 3 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday said, despite the recent verbal tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump, he would not give up on cooperation with the U.S. side.

The Pentagon announced on Friday that it is planning to withdraw about 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany. This announcement came after Merz's remarks about the United States being "planless" in its military engagement in Iran and "humiliated by the Iranian leadership."

During an interview with public broadcaster ARD, Merz also confirmed that the United States will not station Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany for the time being, but he believed that the plan has not been permanently abandoned.

The Tomahawk weapon systems were originally pledged by former U.S. President Joe Biden in 2024 to bolster European deterrence. Along with the troop cut announcement, multiple U.S. media outlets recently said the United States has also canceled the plan to reinforce European troops.

"The Americans currently do not have enough themselves," Merz said. Calling the United States Germany's most important partner within NATO, he noted that the U.S. decision to withdraw U.S. troops has no connection with his earlier criticism of Trump. ■