The Pentagon announced Friday a 5,000-troop drawdown from Germany, where 36,000 U.S. troops are stationed. Recalling the soldiers will restore the American military presence in Germany to the level it was at before Russia invaded Ukraine. However, the move met bipartisan resistance in Congress, with lawmakers expressing concern about the message this sends to Russia.

Asked about the reduction in troops, President Donald Trump told reporters Saturday that this is only the beginning.

“We’re going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” Trump told reporters in Florida.

However, Germany’s defense minister, Boris Pistorius, appeared to agree with Trump that this was the right move, saying that Germany needs to take more responsibility for its own defense, while maintaining that security cooperation between the two allies remains important.

“We Europeans must take on more responsibility for our security,” Pistorius told a German news outlet, adding that “the presence of American soldiers in Europe, and especially in Germany, is in our interest and in the interest of the U.S.”

The massive American presence in Germany — the largest of any European country — began after World War II and served as the front line against the former Soviet Union during the Cold War, when the U.S. increased its military presence there.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. surged troops all across Europe, to an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 personnel.

An unnamed U.S. defense official said that branches of the U.S. military were not notified of the decision, which they found out about in “real time,” but Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, said that the decision was made after careful review of the U.S. military posture in Europe.

The “decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground,” he said.

“The decision to withdraw troops in Germany follows a comprehensive, multilayered process that incorporates perspectives from key leaders in EUCOM [U.S. European Command] and across the chain of command,” acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez reiterated in an email message.