The US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany came as a surprise to the EU, the bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said before the start of a meeting of leaders of the countries of the European Political Community in Armenia.

“People have been talking about the withdrawal of American troops from Europe for a long time, but of course the timing chosen for this announcement came as a surprise,” she told journalists.

According to her, American troops are in Europe not only to protect European interests, but also American interests.