Europe
Trump cancels Tomahawk deployment to Germany as Berlin warns of defense gap
US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he is abandoning plans to station Tomahawk missiles in Germany has triggered a “defense crisis” in Berlin, fueling domestic tensions over the country’s security posture against Moscow.
According to a report by German Foreign Policy, calls to accelerate the development of indigenous German missiles capable of reaching Moscow are intensifying following Trump’s declaration that he will no longer deploy intermediate-range weapons to the country. Late last week, the US President indicated that he intended to withdraw 5,000 US troops from Europe and cancel the long-planned deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The move is being interpreted as a punitive measure in response to critical statements made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz regarding the US administration’s strategy toward Iran. German officials warn that the absence of intermediate-range weapons will prevent the neutralization of Russian command centers in the event of conflict, creating a critical gap in the defense plans of Germany and other European nations. Consequently, the development of Germany’s own intermediate-range weapons, with a range exceeding 2,000 kilometers, must now be accelerated beyond the original timeline.
Criticism of Trump’s decision has also emerged from within the US military establishment. Officials have pointed out that the move weakens the infrastructure the US military relies on for global operations, such as the Ramstein Air Base.
US plans for withdrawal from Germany
As announced over the weekend, US President Donald Trump plans to withdraw approximately 5,000 US troops from Germany. Currently, more than 36,000 US military personnel are stationed in Germany, making the country the largest US military hub in Europe and the second largest worldwide after Japan, which hosts 55,000 personnel.
In total, there are just over 85,000 US troops deployed across Europe, including more than 12,500 in Italy and slightly over 10,000 in the United Kingdom. In December, the US Congress passed legislation stipulating that the number of US military personnel permanently stationed in Europe must not fall below 76,000 for more than 45 days. Any deviation from this rule requires the US Secretary of Defense and the Commander-in-Chief of US Forces in Europe to provide a comprehensive justification to Congress.
Observers believe the specific plan involves withdrawing an entire US combat brigade that former President Joe Biden had deployed to Germany for rotational exercises in response to the war in Ukraine. Furthermore, Trump intends to cancel the deployment of US intermediate-range weapons to Germany, including Tomahawk cruise missiles originally scheduled for this year, without proposing a replacement.
Merz’s stance on Iran “punished”
Trump is presenting this withdrawal, in part, as a punitive measure against German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for his comments on the conflict with Iran. Early last week, Merz stated that the Trump administration had entered the conflict “clearly without any strategy” and was “clearly not following a truly convincing strategy in negotiations.”
Trump subsequently launched a sharp verbal attack on Merz. He has now added the troop reduction announcement to his previous threat to increase tariffs on European automobiles to 25%.
Despite this, Trump has repeatedly confirmed his general intention to reduce the US military footprint in Europe and announced the first concrete measures regarding Romania in October. Accordingly, a combat brigade that had been rotationally deployed for military exercises following the start of the war in Ukraine was withdrawn at the end of the year without a replacement unit. The stated justification was that US troops were primarily needed elsewhere, specifically in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region, which are the focal points of the new US National Security Strategy.
Part of US global war logistics
Serious dissatisfaction with the decision has been voiced in the US, including among Republicans. For instance, the Republican chairs of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees noted that Germany provides the US military not only with overflight rights for the Iran conflict but, more importantly, with unrestricted use of US military bases in Germany, including Ramstein.
According to these officials, “punishing” Germany now would send a risky signal. They argued that Ramstein, along with other US military facilities in Germany such as the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, are indispensable components of global US military infrastructure. Without these facilities, they contend, wars—particularly those in the Middle East—could not be conducted as they have been. Furthermore, these sites provide US forces with an “alternative route” to the Asia-Pacific region if necessary.
Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the former commander of US Army Europe, has stated that US troops in Germany and Europe “are not there to protect the Germans.” According to Hodges, American soldiers are in Germany “for the US,” not for the Germans. Therefore, any withdrawal from the country would primarily weaken US military logistics.
Disabling command centers
In Berlin, Trump’s announcement to cancel the 2024 agreement for the deployment of US intermediate-range weapons in Germany has caused particular concern. Initially, the deployment of such weapons, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, was planned as a means of applying military pressure on Russia. Officially, this was intended as a temporary solution for several years until Germany and other European countries developed their own intermediate-range weapons capable of reaching Moscow.
That temporary solution is now likely off the table. According to Christian Mölling, former deputy director of research at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and founder of the new think tank Edina (European Defense in a New Age), intermediate-range weapons were classified as “central elements” of rearmament against Russia, intended to make it possible to “destroy Russian command centers.”
Moscow within reach: Calls to accelerate the ELSA project
Calls to accelerate the ELSA project as much as possible are growing in Berlin. ELSA (European Long-Range Strike Approach) was launched by Germany, France, Italy, and Poland in July 2024 on the sidelines of the NATO anniversary summit in Washington. The project aims to develop and produce cruise missiles or hypersonic missiles with a range of at least 2,000 kilometers.
The goal was to be able to replace the aforementioned US intermediate-range weapons with indigenous missiles by the early 2030s. In mid-February, the defense ministers of the four founding countries, together with the defense ministers of the United Kingdom and Sweden, signed a memorandum of understanding to further formalize the joint venture.
In the long term, this initiative is intended to help Germany and Europe become militarily independent of the US. However, it remains unclear how the gap created by the non-deployment of US intermediate-range weapons will be bridged before the first European missiles are completed. According to reports, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is in talks with the Trump administration regarding the delivery of US-made Typhon missile launchers, which are capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Representatives from 15 European Union member states met with the Taliban in Brussels on June 23 to discuss the return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan.
A European Commission spokesperson said on Tuesday that the meeting was co-chaired with Sweden. Belgium and the Netherlands also took part.
The Commission stressed that the discussions primarily focused on the return of Afghan citizens with criminal records or those considered security threats.
Talks covered a wide range of issues, including the identification of returnees, the issuance of travel documents and procedures related to their repatriation.
However, Johannes Luchner, a senior European Commission official who travelled to Kabul in January, had previously indicated that the scope could extend beyond convicted individuals.
Addressing European lawmakers at the end of January, he said: “Our primary concern is the return of criminals, but the number of non-criminal Afghans who have received return orders is also increasing.”
Another EU source has now expressed a similar view. Speaking to EUobserver on Tuesday ahead of the meeting, the source said the discussions would also cover the return of asylum seekers whose applications had been rejected.
Earlier in the day, the Commission declined to provide details about the meeting.
As a result, questions remained unanswered regarding who covered the Taliban delegation’s travel expenses, where the meeting would take place, whether women would participate and what the Taliban expected in return for assisting the EU with deportations of Afghan nationals.
The EU and its member states have not recognised the Taliban government since it returned to power five years ago.
Brussels defended its decision to maintain limited contacts with Afghanistan’s “de facto authorities,” arguing that such engagement is necessary to facilitate the deportation of rejected asylum seekers who have committed crimes or are considered dangerous.
A European Commission spokesperson said officials from the Commission and 15 EU member states attended the Brussels meeting, which followed a previous gathering held in Kabul in January.
“The Commission services and Sweden today co-chaired a technical-level meeting in Brussels together with technical-level representatives of Afghanistan’s de facto authorities responsible for return and readmission matters,” the spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry said the agenda was broader and included the possibility of a future consular presence in the EU, the resumption of consular services for Afghans living there and “the need for confidence-building measures.”
Spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi added that the meeting raised hopes of creating “positive momentum to safeguard the consular rights of Afghans residing abroad.”
According to a European Commission letter addressed to Balkhi and reviewed by Reuters, the discussions would focus on “the return and readmission of Afghan nationals without a right to reside in the EU.”
Europe
EU defence chief calls for integration of Ukraine’s military into European defence architecture
The European Union’s Defence Commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, said the bloc should integrate Ukraine into a future European defence union, speaking at the European Defence and Security Summit in Brussels.
According to remarks reported by Reuters, Kubilius said: “It would be difficult to make sense of things if we did not regard the integration of Ukraine’s armed forces into our defence architecture in Europe as a vital issue.”
Kubilius stressed that Ukraine currently holds a dominant position on the battlefield thanks to the transformation of its military doctrine.
Calling for the integration of Europe’s defence industry and Ukraine’s manufacturing facilities into a single military structure, Kubilius said Ukraine should be fully integrated into the EU’s military market.
He added that the European Commission could present a detailed analysis of the defence market and initial proposals for next steps as early as next week.
At a later stage, the commissioner said, the Commission would propose changes to defence procurement rules and other market regulations.
Kubilius also outlined a strategic objective for the European Union.
He argued that EU member states should spend around €7 trillion on arms production over the next decade in order to surpass Russia in military strength and weapons stockpiles. According to Kubilius, such spending would be consistent with commitments under NATO to raise defence budgets to 5% of gross domestic product.
Urging Europeans to be prepared to bear the cost, Kubilius described it as “the price of peace.”
At the same time, he suggested moving away from the production of highly sophisticated weapons that are difficult to manufacture in large quantities. Instead, citing the example of drones used in Ukraine, he called for a focus on producing “enormous quantities of satisfactory weapons.”
The EU Defence Commissioner also underscored the need to integrate Ukraine’s innovative defence industry into Europe’s broader defence and technological base.
Hungary has refused to endorse a joint letter intended to be sent on behalf of all 27 European Union member states to the European Council and the European Commission in support of Ukraine’s and Moldova’s accession to the bloc.
According to Politico, citing sources familiar with the matter, the letter is required for Kyiv’s and Chisinau’s membership applications to advance to the next stage of the accession process.
The sources said Hungary was the only member state that declined to back the document. Because approval requires the consent of all 27 member states, the issue is expected to be revisited next week.
Hungary, which previously blocked Ukraine’s accession negotiations for an extended period, was led at the time by Prime Minister Viktor Orban. His successor, Prime Minister Peter Magyar, has not opposed the launch of the negotiation process but has insisted on removing the phrase “as soon as possible” from the draft letter’s reference to Ukraine’s accession.
Magyar said Hungary does not support opening all negotiating chapters simultaneously in an effort to accelerate Ukraine’s membership bid.
Explaining the government’s position, he said: “Partly because the ink on the documents relating to the first chapter has barely dried, and partly because this would send the wrong message to Western Balkan countries such as Serbia, Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia, which have been working for years to become members of the European Union.”
The European Union formally opened the first chapter of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova in June. The process was launched during a ceremony in Luxembourg attended by the foreign ministers of member states and is divided into six thematic clusters covering different areas of legislation and policy.
The opening of the first cluster, which covers core issues including the rule of law, the functioning of democratic institutions and public administration, marks the transition from the preparatory phase to practical work on meeting accession requirements.
The EU’s ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, has said Kyiv could join the bloc by 2030, although the final timeline will depend on how quickly the Ukrainian authorities complete the required legal and institutional reforms.
Mathernova also said she hoped all 33 negotiating chapters could be opened by the end of the summer.
EU states hold talks with Taliban in Brussels on Afghan returns
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