Hungary could soon become the new home of approximately 35,000 US soldiers currently stationed in Germany. According to the British outlet The Telegraph, US President Donald Trump is considering withdrawing American troops from Germany—yet another sign of deteriorating relations between Washington and Berlin—and relocating them to the closest European allies of the current US administration.
The Telegraph, citing sources close to the White House, states that Trump is increasingly frustrated with the European Union’s efforts to undermine US-led peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Another key factor is Washington’s unwillingness to continue footing the bill for European security, as it pushes NATO allies to take greater responsibility for their own defence. This was also the case during Trump’s first administration, as many European countries failed—and continue to fail—to meet the 2 per cent threshold on defence spending. Hungary, however, is an exception.
Why Hungary?
While vetoing a joint European Council conclusion on continued support for Ukraine, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán welcomed the European Commission’s plan to boost the European defence industry and strengthen common security efforts—naturally, with full respect for member states’ sovereignty and a minimal degree of centralization in defence policy. Orbán has long advocated for a common European defence strategy and called for the creation of a joint European army as early as 2016. In his speech at the annual Tusványos festival in Tusnádfürdő (Băile Tușnad), Romania, he declared that Europe ‘cannot remain defenceless in terms of military policy,’ adding: ‘We must, therefore, establish a European army that would be a genuine common force, with authentic shared regiments, a common command language, and a unified structure.’
Despite these calls, EU leaders largely ignored the need to strengthen European defence—until US Secretary of Defence Peter Hegseth announced in February that the United States would gradually withdraw from Europe to focus on threats closer to its own borders. Around the same time, Trump declared that peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine would begin immediately. Since then, peace talks have been taking place on two separate tracks: between Washington and Moscow, and between Washington and Kyiv.
Having been excluded from the negotiations, the EU responded with increasingly aggressive pro-war rhetoric, vowing to step in and fill the void left by Washington’s reduced military support for Ukraine. Brussels also sought to convince Kyiv that victory against Russia remained possible with the EU’s backing alone. At least 26 of the 27 member states share this stance. Until Trump’s re-election, Hungary was the lone voice advocating for peace within the Western information sphere. Orbán has not wavered in his stance, making Hungary the only European country currently aligned with the United States on Ukraine. Just a few months ago, when the EU was still mirroring Washington’s Ukraine policy, the opposite was true.
Will It Really Happen?
With this in mind, it would not be surprising if Trump were considering relocating US troops from Germany to Hungary. However, such a move is unlikely for several reasons. At present, only a small American contingent is stationed in Hungary at the Pápa Air Base. Since the Yugoslav Wars, Hungary has not hosted a significant US troop presence, and the country lacks the necessary infrastructure to accommodate such a large number of soldiers. Furthermore, it does not have the geographical conditions required for large-scale military exercises away from populated areas.
Most US troops in Germany are stationed at the Ramstein Air Base, where they oversee and maintain nuclear strike capabilities deployed there. Under existing international treaties governing nuclear weapons, such armaments cannot be stationed in Hungary—at least in theory.
However, Trump is not known for strictly adhering to established rules and has often been highly innovative, especially when it comes to forging peace agreements in protracted conflicts, as seen with the Abraham Accords and, more recently, his Gaza plan. Given this, the relocation of US soldiers remains a possibility and would represent a significant blow to EU member states that frequently criticize and seek to discredit Hungary.
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