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 the 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 US 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.