NATO: Poll shows majority of Germans favour reducing reliance on US

The majority of Germans are in favour of reducing reliance on US defence and having closer ties with Russia, according to a YouGov survey commissioned by dpa.

Fifty-five per cent of Germans said that in the case of an attack, they would want European NATO nations to defend themselves without support from the United States.

Around one-fifth (21 per cent) of Germans do not want to relinquish US military support, the poll found.

Additionally, 48 per cent are in favour of a full or partial withdrawal of the roughly 35,000 US soldiers stationed in Germany.

Around a third (32 per cent) of respondents said the full US troop contingent should stay in Germany.

There is also strong support for closer ties with Russia, with 54 per cent of respondents saying NATO should work more closely with Russia again.

Only 21 per cent are in favour of continuing the hard-line stance against Moscow.

The poll showed a divide when it comes to the EU's economic sanctions against Russia: 34 per cent are in favour of a suspension, 37 per cent are against it, while 29 per cent did not specify their choice.

NATO heads of state and government are meeting for a summit in London on Tuesday night.

French President Emmanuel Macron's comment a few weeks ago about the "brain death" of NATO and his call for more European independence triggered a vivid debate within the 29-country defence alliance.

The German government has distanced itself from Macron's critique, with both Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stressing that European nations would not able to defend themselves without US support.