Dmitriev predicted criticism of Merz until the moment of his resignation.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will be criticized until he leaves office or learns how to correct mistakes. This was announced on May 2 by Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Investment and Economic Cooperation.

"Accusations of Merz's wrong decisions will accumulate until he learns to correct his mistakes or leaves his post," he wrote on the social network X (ex. Twitter).

Thus, Dmitriev commented on the information that the United States had decided to withdraw its troops from Germany.

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Earlier in the day, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the decision to withdraw 5,000 American troops from Germany was predictable. He added that Europe, and Germany in particular, should begin to build up its own defense capability.

At the same time, Gunnar Lindemann, a member of the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said that his political bloc welcomed the withdrawal of American soldiers. He added that the AFD expects a complete withdrawal of the US contingent from the country, calling these forces "occupation forces."

On May 1, the Reuters news agency, citing the Pentagon, reported that the United States would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany within 6-12 months. It is noted that the reduction in the number of troops will allow the number of American troops in Europe to return approximately to the level that existed before 2022.