Briefly

UNITED STATES

Trump approves cutting troops in Germany

US President Donald Trump has approved a plan to slash the US military presence in Germany by 9,500 troops, the Defense Department said on Tuesday. Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said the move, which has sparked concerns in Berlin and in the NATO alliance, is to redeploy the troops and will "enhance Russian deterrence, strengthen NATO, (and) reassure allies", as well as improve US strategic flexibility. The move will cut the current troop level in Germany from about 34,500 to 25,000, Trump's stated goal. Hoffman gave no details on when the reductions would happen.

ISRAEL

Netanyahu signals delay in annexation

Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Tuesday that discussions with the US on his plan to annex occupied West Bank territory would continue "in the coming days". July 1 had been the target date for beginning the controversial process. The Israeli leader has been eager to begin annexing West Bank territory in line with US President Donald Trump's Mideast plan. The plan, unveiled in January, envisions turning over some 30 percent of the territory under permanent Israeli control, while giving the Palestinians autonomy in the remaining land. But the plan has come under fierce international criticism. The Palestinians, who seek all of the West Bank as part of a future state, have rejected the Trump plan.

RUSSIA

Putin unveils monument to fallen WWII soldiers

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his counterpart from Belarus on Tuesday unveiled a monument honoring fallen Red Army soldiers who fought in one of the most bloody battles of World War II. Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko traveled to the village of Khoroshevo, just outside Rzhev, for a somber ceremony that involved goose-stepping troops laying wreaths before the towering figure of a soldier. Putin said that 1.3 million soldiers were killed, wounded in combat or went missing in action during the fighting around Rzhev that raged for more than a year.

Agencies Via Xinhua