Germany agrees deal to buy U.S. Tomahawk missiles

Germany has reached an agreement with the U.S. to purchase Tomahawk cruise missiles and deploy them on German territory, Chancellor Friedrich Merz told lawmakers in Berlin on Thursday.

Deal reached at NATO summit

Merz said he had finalised the agreement during talks with Washington on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, adding that the gathering had surpassed his expectations.

“By doing so, we are addressing a significant strategic shortfall in our defence capabilities, while at the same time pursuing the development of our own European systems and deploying them within Europe,” he said.

Deployment had been in doubt

The future of the Tomahawk deployment had been uncertain after President Donald Trump announced in May that the U.S. would reduce its military presence in Germany. The decision was widely interpreted as signalling the cancellation of plans, agreed under the previous administration, to station a U.S. battalion equipped with long-range Tomahawk missiles in the country.

Berlin has backed the deployment as a strong deterrent against Russia, while European countries continue efforts to develop comparable long-range missile systems of their own.

• Germany urges Europe to boost defence as U.S. plans troop withdrawal
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One factual point to flag: the article states the NATO summit was held in Ankara. If this refers to a recent NATO summit, you may wish to verify the location, as NATO summits are not commonly held there. Similarly, if the summit is intended to have taken place in Türkiye, it's worth confirming the venue before publication.

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News Politics USA Germany Friedrich Merz