Trump's Germany troops pullout may be his last gift to Putin before the election

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/02/politics/trump-germany-troops-russia-intl/index.html

Since he came to office, US President Donald Trump has obsessively picked at the ties that bind America to its allies.

This week in one apparently wanton yank, he ripped one of those cords by announcing a plan to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany. This thin green thread of forces, woven through Germany's historic towns, rolling fields and dense forests, has for three generations helped ensure peace in Europe, embodying an unbreakable commitment between the former foes.

The relationship now though, particularly if Trump is reelected later this year, is in freefall, destination unknown.

His decision, if his tweets have been correctly divined, seems to be to punish Germany.

"Germany pays Russia billions of dollars a year for Energy, and we are supposed to protect Germany from Russia. What's that all about?" Trump wrote in one post.

"Also, Germany is very delinquent in their 2% fee to NATO. We are therefore moving some troops out of Germany!"