Long-range U.S. missiles will be deployed periodically in Germany starting in 2026, for the first time since the Cold War, according to a decision announced at NATO’s 75th anniversary summit.
Tomahawk, SM-6 and Hypersonic Cruise The missiles have a significantly longer range than existing missilesthe United States and Germany said in a joint statement.
Such missiles would have been banned under a 1988 treaty between the United States and the former Soviet Union, but the pact collapsed five years ago.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow would respond with a “military response to the new threat.”
“This is just one link in the chain of escalation,” he said, accusing NATO and the United States of trying to intimidate Russia.
The joint US-German statement said the “episodic” deployment of the missiles was initially considered temporary but would later become permanent, as part of the US commitment to NATO and European “integrated deterrence.”
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, speaking at the NATO summit in Washington, said the idea behind the US plan was to encourage Germany and other European countries to invest in developing and purchasing longer-range missiles themselves.
The temporary deployment of U.S. weapons would give NATO allies time to prepare, he said: “We are talking about a growing capability gap in Europe.”
Mr Pistorius signed a letter of intent with his French, Italian and Polish counterparts on Thursday to develop long-range missiles in Europe. The European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA) aims to improve Europe’s missile capability, “which is badly needed to deter and defend our continent”, Italian news agency Ansa reported.
Such missiles were banned by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, signed at the end of the Cold War and which covered ground-launched missiles that could travel between 500 and 5,500 km (310 to 3,400 miles).
Russian President Vladimir Putin considered the pact too restrictive, and in 2014 the United States accused him of violating the pact with a new type of nuclear-capable cruise missile.
The United States eventually withdrew from the treaty in 2019, and Russia followed suit.
German Green politicians have criticised Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s agreement to allow US missiles on German soil.
The Greens are part of Mr Scholz’s ruling coalition, and their security spokesperson, Sara Nanni, made clear her frustration that he had not commented on the decision.
“It can even increase fears and leave room for disinformation and incitement,” she told the Rheinische Post newspaper.
