German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on March 3, 2026. —Win McNamee—Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump has told German Chancellor Freidrich Merz to focus on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and matters within his own country rather than “interfering” with the Iran war. “The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine. where he has been totally ineffective, and fixing his broken country, especially Immigration and energy,” said Trump. “And less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat, thereby making the World, including Germany, a safer place.”The President's Thursday morning remarks came hours after he warned he may pull troops from Germany.“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” he said.As of December 2025, there were 36,436 U.S. active-duty personnel stationed in Germany, the highest number in any foreign country outside of Japan, according to data from the U.S. Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC).Tensions between Trump and Merz have been mounting—the latest indication of Europe splintering from the U.S. amid the fallout of the Iran war.During a visit to troops at a military base in Munster, Germany, on Thursday morning, Merz didn’t directly address Trump, but he did reiterate the importance of the transatlantic partnership.“On all these [world] issues, we maintain close and trusting contact with our partners, including—and especially—those in Washington,” said Merz. “We do this in the shared transatlantic interest. We do so with mutual respect and a fair sharing of the burden.”He added that the focus of Germany remains on the cooperation between NATO partners, an alliance Trump recently threatened to leave.“We are following a clear compass, especially during this turbulent phase, this compass remains focused on a strong NATO and a reliable transatlantic partnership,” he continued. “As you know, this transatlantic partnership is particularly close to our hearts—and to mine personally.”Trump recently took umbrage to the German Chancellor's critique of how the U.S. is handling the Iran negotiations.“The Americans clearly have no strategy, and the problem with conflicts like this is always that you don’t just have to go in; you also have to get out again,” Merz said Tuesday during a visit to a school in Marsberg, northwestern Germany.Merz compared the conflict to previous U.S. interventions in the Middle East, including Afghanistan and Iraq—comparisons the Administration has strongly rejected—and described the current situation as “ill-considered.”“The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result,” he argued. "An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible.”Trump strongly rejected Merz’s critical assessment, insisting the German Chancellor “doesn’t know what he’s talking about” and defended the war.“I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago. No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both economically, and otherwise,” he said.Merz later expressed he remains on “good speaking terms” with Trump, but pointed out that the continued disruption to the Strait of Hormuz is having a devastating impact on European markets. Germany is not alone in voicing frustration with the Trump Administration’s handling of the war. The U.K.’s top economic official recently berated Trump for entering the conflict without a “clear exit plan,” lamenting the impact on British consumers.While a fragile cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran remains in place, there is no clear path in sight for a durable end to the conflict. Still, Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO allies for refusing to get actively involved in the war.He reiterated to reporters on Wednesday that he was “very disappointed” with the alliance because “they weren’t there” to provide assistance.Meanwhile, the price of the war is prompting concern.Pentagon officials said Wednesday that the conflict has already cost at least $25 billion, adding pressure on Trump to find a path toward de-escalation.