Germany has reached an agreement with the US on the purchase of Tomahawk cruise missiles
Germany has reached an agreement with the United States on the procurement of Tomahawk medium-range cruise missiles and their deployment on its territory. This was announced by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a government statement in the Bundestag on 9 July.
According to the Chancellor, the agreement was reached on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, reports DW.
“We agreed with the US government on the sidelines of the NATO meeting in Ankara that we would purchase American Tomahawk missiles and deploy them in Germany. In doing so, we are closing an important strategic gap in our defence,” said Merz.
He added that, in parallel, Germany would work on developing its own European weapons systems and deploying them across Europe.
In 2024, the administration of then US President Joe Biden planned to deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometres in Germany by 2026, SM-6 missiles and the latest hypersonic weapons in Germany by 2026. Following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, this project was halted, after which the German government decided to purchase the missiles directly from Washington.
The dpa news agency notes that European NATO members currently do not possess their own medium-range weapons.
Previously, the German Ministry of Defence had stated that it planned to use Tomahawk missiles to counter the threat posed by Russia, which has deployed ‘Iskander’ missile systems capable of carrying nuclear weapons in the Kaliningrad region, as well as fighter jets equipped with hypersonic missiles.
In May this year, against the backdrop of a dispute with US President Donald Trump, Friedrich Merz expressed doubt that the United States would be able to supply these missiles.
During a speech in the Bundestag, the Chancellor also responded to criticism regarding the significant increase in defence spending.
“Even the most sophisticated social welfare system is worthless if we do not live in freedom and peace. That is precisely why ensuring freedom and peace in Europe is a priority for me and for our coalition,” he emphasised.
According to the German government’s plans, defence and security spending is set to rise to 127 billion euros in 2027, to 167 billion in 2028 and to 196.4 billion euros in 2030. By way of comparison, in 2025 they stood at 99.3 billion euros, and in 2026 they are planned to reach 124.7 billion euros.
According to Merz, the increase in defence spending also contributes to the development of German industry, as work continues on establishing a new, robust defence industry in Germany and Europe.
As an example, he cited a contract for the German company TKMS to supply twelve submarines to Canada. The Chancellor described it as the largest international defence contract in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany and estimated its economic impact at 100 billion euros.
