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Europe Today: Merz–Trump clash deepens over US troop pullout as European leaders meet in Armenia
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Tune in to Europe Today, Euronews' flagship morning programme at 8 am Brussels time. In just 20 minutes, we bring you up to speed on the biggest news of the day.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/05/04/europe-today-merztrump-clash-deepens-over-us-troop-pullout-as-european-leaders-meet-in-arm
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:14Good morning. It's Monday, the 4th of May. This is Europe Today, and I'm Marit Gwynn coming to you live
00:21from Brussels with the news and analysis to start your day.
00:24Coming up on today's show, US President Donald Trump is threatening deeper cuts to US military presence in Germany after
00:33the Pentagon announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops on Saturday, escalating tensions between Washington and Berlin.
00:41The decision follows comments made by German Chancellor Friedrich Metz saying the US was being humiliated by Iran.
00:49And the European Commission says it's keeping its options open after President Trump announced he would hike tariffs on EU
00:57cars to 25%.
00:59The announcement has left the US-EU trade deal struck last summer hanging in the balance.
01:06We speak to the EU's top lawmaker on international trade, Bernd Lange.
01:11Also, 48 leaders are gathering in Armenia for a summit of the European political community, with a non-European leader,
01:20Canada's Mark Carney, in attendance for the very first time.
01:24Carney is seeking to build new alliances with like-minded partners amid a rupture with the US.
01:30But first, this morning, to ask top story, because Europe is dealing with the fallout of US President Donald Trump's
01:38latest verbal attacks against his NATO allies.
01:42Trump signalled over the weekend he would withdraw many more than the 5,000 troops the US said it would
01:48remove from Germany on Saturday.
01:51We're going to cut way down and we're cutting a lot further than 5,000. Thank you very much.
01:56For more, I'm joined in the studio this morning by our correspondent, Seana Murray. Good morning, Seana. Great to see
02:02you.
02:02So this comes after a very public spat between Trump and the German Chancellor, Friedrich Mertz. Tell us more.
02:10Yes, so there were pretty ill-fated comments from Friedrich Mertz saying that the Iranians were humiliating the White House
02:16negotiators
02:16and then criticising Trump for his ill-conceived strategy in Iran.
02:20And people might say, well, that's actually a fair point because the war is not going well.
02:25Well, gas prices are skyrocketing. The global economy is not doing very well.
02:30Donald Trump knows this. And so this sort of added fuel to the fire.
02:34Immediately then, Donald Trump said he was studying how to remove troops from Europe.
02:39He announced 5,000. And then the last few days, he's announced that he will remove even more than 5
02:43,000.
02:44There are around 80,000, over 80,000 U.S. troops across Europe, about 36,500 in Germany.
02:51It has to be said that Europe has been preparing for a drawdown like this, but not in this sort
02:56of confrontational way.
02:58Now, take a listen to him over the weekend. He was also asked whether he would do the same in
03:02Italy and Spain.
03:04Why shouldn't I? Italy has not been of any help to us.
03:11And Spain has been horrible. Absolutely horrible.
03:16And Germany, I mean, he's doing a terrible job.
03:19He's got immigration problems. He's got energy problems.
03:23He's got problems of all kinds.
03:25And he's got a big problem with Ukraine because they're in that mess.
03:30And he criticized me for doing the whole thing with Iran.
03:37But I said, would you like to have a nuclear weapon in the hands of Iran?
03:40He said, no, I don't.
03:42I said, well, then I guess I'm right.
03:44A lot being said there.
03:46First of all, Italy and Spain.
03:47We know that Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, has been very vocally critical of the war in Iran.
03:51But Giorgia Maloney, the prime minister of Italy, was once known as the Trump whisperer.
03:56So it shows you that these relationships are transactional and very much temporary.
04:00And, you know, he's criticizing Friedrich Merz and the Germans,
04:02but at least they're allowing the U.S. military access to their bases
04:05and the use of their skies for the war in Iran.
04:09But, you know, overall, this is yet another diatribe,
04:12another confrontation between the U.S. and its allies at a very particular critical moment in Ukraine.
04:17And Shauna, in terms of this drawdown, 5,000 troops from Germany,
04:20what does that mean now for security and for NATO?
04:24Well, this is the issue because speaking to NATO sources over the last few days
04:27is they haven't been given any detail about what this will look like.
04:30Will it be a sort of a rotational issue where 3,000 troops are removed
04:33and they won't be replenished?
04:35Is it from a core group?
04:36Is it from the Air Force?
04:37They haven't got that detail.
04:38And we heard from NATO over the weekend saying that they're working with the U.S.
04:41to figure this out.
04:42We heard from Mark Rutte, the NATO Secretary General, this morning.
04:45He's in Armenia, the European political community,
04:47saying that European allies have heard the message from Trump loud and clear.
04:51That is true.
04:52And they have been preparing for this.
04:53So Germans and other countries have bolstered their forces for the last year or so.
04:58So they're well prepared for this.
04:59They don't know.
04:59I mean, 5,000 is manageable.
05:01But the question is how many more.
05:02But crucial to this, Marad, is that even in the last year,
05:06I spoke to a NATO diplomat.
05:07He said, we're preparing for withdrawal of troops.
05:09But the worst case scenario would be if it happens out of the blue,
05:13without collaboration with NATO,
05:15and also if it comes after a phone call with Putin,
05:18which is exactly what happened here, almost a self-fulfilling prophecy.
05:22So it's, you know, Europeans are again sort of in a very,
05:26very difficult position with Trump.
05:27OK, Shauna, thank you so much for that update and for bringing us up to speed.
05:32Now we're moving on because on Friday,
05:34President Trump also said he would hike tariffs on EU cars and trucks to 25%.
05:41It's left the trade deal struck between the EU and the US last summer,
05:46hanging in the balance once again.
05:48That deal had set a baseline tariff of 15% on most EU goods, including cars,
05:54while completely removing EU tariffs on US industrial goods.
05:59For more, we're joined live now by the Chair of the European Parliament's
06:03Committee on International Trade, Bernd Lange.
06:06Mr. Lange, really good to have you with us this morning.
06:09Can you tell us first, is this announcement, do you think,
06:13a political manoeuvre from Trump, directed specifically perhaps at Germany?
06:20Yes, sir. Good morning. And I think you are quite right.
06:23This is a political decision.
06:26He is really angry against Germany.
06:30We just heard it.
06:32And I'm convinced that in this context,
06:36he also targeting specifically German car manufacturers.
06:42And this will perhaps lead to an extra tariff volume from around 15 billion.
06:50So that's really...
06:51And, of course, there are no legal or no economic reasons for that.
06:57This is really politically against Germany.
07:00And I think the big question now, Mr. Lange, is how should the EU respond to this?
07:05Is it time to move from appeasement to retaliation?
07:09That's really the question we will discuss on Wednesday.
07:12So it's totally clear.
07:14We saw a lot of breaches or a lot of breaking of the deal of Scotland by the United States.
07:21Even some weeks after, we saw that more than 400 products were lifted from 15 to 50 percent
07:29because they are containing steel and aluminium.
07:32There's now a revision on the 2nd of April,
07:35where also these products are still in average tariff by 26 percent.
07:40And we saw the Greenland exercise,
07:43and we saw that the Supreme Court decided the legal basis was illegal.
07:48So I guess now we will reflect and make an assessment about this one year of breaking by the United
07:55States.
07:56I'm not sure that we can really go on.
07:59And, of course, we have a toolbox of possible reaction,
08:02and we will discuss it quite intensively, and we will be serious.
08:08You mentioned a toolbox.
08:09We know that there is this kind of trade bazooka, the anti-coercion instrument.
08:15Will that be on the table as one of the options?
08:18We have the toolbox, and, of course, all tools are in.
08:23But in this case, of course, we will look also to other elements like countermeasures,
08:32like counter tariffs or export restrictions.
08:34So I guess all options are on the table.
08:39But as you said, Mr. Langer, we have been here before.
08:42There could be more to come.
08:44So far, the EU has not had the political courage,
08:47some would say, to introduce, for example, retaliatory tariffs.
08:52Do you think that now the time has come and that this will happen?
08:57I'm sure that the mood in the European Union has changed,
09:01specifically after this Greenland exercise.
09:04And if you read the statement by the Commission yesterday,
09:09it was much more clear.
09:11And also there was a mentioning of a reaction,
09:15and all options are open.
09:17And so there's a change inside the attitude of the European Union
09:23after this long story of unpredictable reaction in the United States.
09:29And Mr. Langer, you've been urging EU governments
09:31to attach more conditions to the Scotland deal agreed last year,
09:36including making EU preferential tariffs conditional on the US,
09:40respecting its side of the deal.
09:42Germany has been pushing against that.
09:44Do you think they could now get on board?
09:48In the Council, indeed, there are different positions.
09:51Some are more outspoken.
09:53Some are really trying to de-escalate.
09:57Germany, unfortunately, was more in the camp of the second.
10:01Now, I guess also here is a change.
10:04And we will have also a discussion with the Council on Wednesday.
10:08And after that, I can give you a concrete answer what we will do.
10:12OK, thank you so much, Mr. Langer.
10:14That's all we have time for, I'm afraid.
10:16But we'll be following those discussions on Wednesday,
10:20as you mentioned.
10:22Bernd Langer, the chair of the European Parliament's Committee
10:25on International Trade there.
10:26Moving on now, the European political community,
10:29a forum considered the brainchild of France's Emmanuel Macron,
10:33is meeting for a summit in Armenia today.
10:35Around 48 leaders are expected to attend,
10:37including for the very first time a non-European,
10:40Canada's Mark Carney,
10:42as our reporter Jakob Yanis explains.
10:47Mark Carney has arrived in Yerevan, Armenia,
10:50heading to the European Political Community Summit,
10:52as he spearheads efforts to create a middle-powers alliance.
10:56This Canadian prime minister,
10:58holding both Canadian and British passports,
11:01represents a unique bridge between the Anglo world
11:03and a Europe increasingly wary of American isolationism.
11:07And this forum could offer Canada a vital opening
11:10to build new European ties.
11:12But could the world's most European, non-European country
11:16actually become the 28th EU member state?
11:21Almost 60% of Canadians now support joining the bloc,
11:25with over 80% prioritizing stronger economic ties
11:28as a buffer against US political turmoil.
11:31And the latest surveys show most Germans and Spaniards
11:35back Canadian accession,
11:36while in Poland, France and Italy,
11:38proponents significantly outweighed those in opposition.
11:42And hey, Ottawa is no geopolitical lightweight.
11:46Canada's population is around 41 million,
11:49which is roughly 10% of the current EU bloc.
11:52And while being a founding NATO member,
11:55it remains outside the European Economic Area.
11:57However, and that's interesting,
12:00its GDP per capita remains significantly higher
12:03than the EU average.
12:04So, if Ottawa ever entered the Union,
12:08it would be a wealthy net contributor.
12:10All right, but despite the public enthusiasm,
12:13the Brussels bubble has just issued
12:14a polite reality check.
12:16Enlargement commissioner Marta Koss
12:18recently confirmed that while Canada is a state,
12:22it fails the European state requirement
12:24of Article 49 of the Treaty on the European Union.
12:28And unlike Ukraine or Turkey,
12:30Canada lacks the geographic
12:32and ancient cultural connections
12:33necessary to satisfy current treaties
12:36without a total legal overhaul.
12:39However, this relationship could evolve
12:42toward a bespoke model,
12:43mirroring Norway or Switzerland,
12:45a close family bond that provides deep integration
12:48into the single market and security programs
12:51while stopping just short of a formal marriage.
12:54If Europe wants to become more independent,
12:58yes, indeed, we need partners like Canada.
13:01And for that, Canadians could one day say yes.
13:05Huh.
13:05Or we, as both English and French,
13:08are Canada's official languages.
13:14Now, as Armenia hosts
13:16the eighth European Political Community Summit today,
13:20it's also seeking closer ties with European nations
13:23amid a rift with its traditional ally, Moscow.
13:26For more on the significance of this,
13:28I'm joined by our Ukraine correspondent,
13:30Sasha Vakulina.
13:31Good morning, Sasha.
13:32Tell us how significant this is,
13:35Armenia hosting the EPC for the first time.
13:37It is absolutely unprecedented, Marit,
13:40for anybody who's been following the region
13:42and the developments there for years, I would say.
13:44Now, there's some of the scenes on Monday morning
13:47where it used to be absolutely unimaginable,
13:50like NATO Secretary General Mark Ruter
13:53arriving to the EPS in Yerevan and there
13:57and shaking hands with Armenia's Prime Minister
14:00Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia,
14:02the country that for decades had been seen
14:05as Russia's closest ally,
14:06the country that still has some standing treaties with Moscow
14:11and is officially considered Moscow ally.
14:13Now, Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister,
14:14he tweeted prior to the meeting
14:16and he said about the importance of Armenia hosting it.
14:19And he said,
14:20I'm looking forward to discussions with European partners
14:22on the vital topics,
14:23including democratic resilience,
14:25regional stability and connectivity.
14:28Now, this, of course,
14:30also reflects a lot here
14:32of Eryvan's intentions voiced last year
14:34about them trying to go on the European path
14:37and finally join the European Union.
14:39But in a bigger picture,
14:40this fact that Eryvan is indeed hosting the EPS
14:45and then tomorrow the EU-Armenia summit
14:46cements the fact
14:48and this U-turn in Armenia's foreign policy,
14:50which we have been observing
14:52since a couple of years,
14:54but specifically since Armenia and Azerbaijan
14:56found this treaty and the peace agreement
14:59and put an end to decades of bloody conflict in Karabakh.
15:04Yes, really fascinating, Sasha,
15:05but also the Ukrainian president,
15:07Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
15:08also at the EPC summit today.
15:10How significant is that?
15:12I would say that, you know,
15:13same as with Mark Rutte arriving to Eryvan,
15:16Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
15:17the scene of Volodymyr Zelenskyy arriving to Eryvan,
15:19that's sort of another nightmare
15:20that is definitely very closely watched in Moscow.
15:24Now, this is Zelenskyy's first ever visit to Armenia
15:27and he was rather cautious commenting on it
15:31when he tweeted and he said,
15:33many meetings ahead,
15:35the key priority is more security
15:37and coordination for all of us.
15:39Now, he's, of course,
15:41talking about more and better security deals
15:43and cooperation between Ukraine
15:44and other, not only European countries,
15:47but the fact that he is visiting indeed the country
15:50where there is still a Russian military base
15:51is very important.
15:54And, of course, also this visit comes just a week
15:56after he visited Azerbaijan as well,
15:59discussing security deals.
16:00Okay, Sasha, thank you so much.
16:02And we'll, of course, keep an eye out
16:03on the EPC in Armenia today
16:05and as well as that EU Armenia summit
16:07taking place tomorrow.
16:09But moving on now,
16:11last week, a coalition of European mayors
16:14met with European Council President Antonio Kosta
16:17to discuss the housing crisis
16:19gripping many parts of Europe.
16:21The issue is back on the agenda this week
16:23with the Commission and Parliament
16:24co-hosting a high-level meeting
16:27on the housing crisis tomorrow.
16:29Our correspondent, Angela Scugins,
16:31caught up with the mayor of Rome,
16:33Roberto Gualtieri,
16:34and started by asking him
16:36why Brussels should dedicate political capital
16:39to tackling the crisis.
16:41This is an issue of social justice,
16:44an issue of inclusion.
16:45It's also an issue of competitiveness growth
16:48because labour mobility is key.
16:52And if workers have difficulty to move to cities,
16:55to big cities,
16:57that also affects our economic growth.
17:00So it's a priority, it's an emergency.
17:02And this is the reason why
17:04we created this alliance
17:06of mayors for affordable housing.
17:09We elaborated proposals,
17:11very concrete proposals,
17:12not just slogans.
17:14And we are here to present them
17:16to the European Commission.
17:17You say that it's an emergency.
17:19Do you think the European Commission
17:20is taking you seriously?
17:22They did because this commission
17:25has introduced a very important new element,
17:28which is a commission
17:29dedicated to housing
17:30because they are listening to us.
17:33But of course,
17:34now is the time to move from listening
17:36to deliver results.
17:38Could you argue that the short-term rentals
17:40are causing the most issue?
17:43What are the other points
17:45that are causing contention here?
17:47The short rentals are a component
17:49of distinctions,
17:50not the only one.
17:51And that's very important
17:51because the main problem
17:54is that public housing policies
17:57have been put out of the policy tool
18:02of Europe and Italy for a lot of time.
18:06So let's go back to the re-founding
18:10of a European nation state
18:12after World War II
18:13and with a welfare state,
18:14European social model.
18:16This is composed in four pillars.
18:18Health, public health,
18:20education, pensions, and housing.
18:24Now, the fourth part of this,
18:27you know, social model policy tool
18:31is out.
18:32There is not anymore.
18:33So we don't have public housing policy
18:36significant of significant magnitude.
18:38And so that's the reason.
18:40So we need first to recreate a robust pillar
18:43of public housing, public policies.
18:46Then, of course, we have also to address the tension
18:50that short-term rents has created on housing markets,
18:54especially in very touristic cities.
18:58The mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri,
19:00speaking to our correspondent, Angela Scugins, there.
19:03But that's it from us for today.
19:05Thank you so much for tuning in.
19:07If you have comments or questions for us,
19:10remember, you can email us
19:11at eruptoday at euronews.com.
19:14We'll be back at the same time tomorrow.
19:17See you then.
19:58We'll be back at the same time tomorrow.
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