BSW politician Sahra Wagenknecht has criticized the planned withdrawal of 5,000 US soldiers from Germany and specifically demanded the official cancellation of stationing US medium-range missiles in the country. She suggested that if the deployment of these US missiles is canceled-along with the soldier withdrawal-it would represent the “best news” for German security in a long time.
Speaking to the newspapers of the Funke media group, Wagenknecht argued that Germany does not need US troops or US offensive weapons. Instead, she called for a return to a new “Eastern Policy” focused on détente, rebuilding completely destroyed trust, and ensuring collective security, particularly if Europe is to avoid a nuclear war.
She voiced deep alarm over the hypothetical scenario, citing the fear of a leader like Donald Trump having control over missiles, potentially deciding Germany’s path regarding peace and war. This situation, she argued, would have transformed Germany into a primary target for attack. Wagenknecht, former chair of the “Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht” (BSW), stated that her party had already demanded the cancellation of the missile deployment two years prior but faced strong opposition for doing so.
The decision to establish the US medium-range weapons system was reportedly reached by then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and then-US President Joe Biden during a NATO summit about two years ago. According to these plans, starting in 2026, Germany was scheduled to host warheads including “Tomahawk” cruise missiles with a range exceeding 2,000 kilometers, SM-6 anti-missiles, and newly developed hypersonic weapons. This would mark the first time since the Cold War that advanced US weapon systems, capable of reaching deep into Russian territory, would be stationed in Germany. Despite the government’s previous explanation that the agreement had not changed, Wagenknecht remains opposed to the deployment.