German defence ministry says no 'definitive cancellation' of US weapons deployment

May 4, 2026 8:37 AM EDT

U.S. aircrafts are parked on the tarmac at the U.S. airbase in Ramstein, Germany, May 2, 2026. REUTERS/Frank Simon

BERLIN, May 4 (Reuters) - ‌The German ​defence ​ministry said on Monday that there had been no "definitive cancellation" by ‌the United States of a plan devised ⁠under former president Joe Biden to deploy a ‌battalion with long-range Tomahawk ‌missiles to Germany.

The comment comes after Washington announced last week that it would reduce ​its military presence in Germany by 5,000 soldiers, which was widely interpreted to ⁠include cancellation of the planned deployment of weapons.

"We're not talking ​about a definitive cancellation," the defence ministry spokesperson said, adding that the ​weapons were "meant to be stationed (in ‌Germany) and may well still be."

He said that in any case, ⁠there were already plans underway by European nations to procure weapons systems that would fill ⁠the gap.

The Pentagon announced the drawdown from Germany, its ​largest European base, on Friday, as a rift over the Iran war and tariff tensions placed further ‌strain on relations between the U.S. and Europe.

The long-range fires had ‌been due to form a significant extra ⁠element of deterrence ‌against Russia while ​Europeans developed such long-range missiles themselves.

(Writing by Friederike Heine, Editing by Miranda ‌Murray)



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