German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivers a government statement on the current political situation during the 89th plenary session of the 21st legislative period in the German Bundestag, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP)

2026-07-09T13:29:27Z

BERLIN (AP) — Germany has struck a deal with the United States to buy American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles and station them in Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Thursday.

The German leader said the agreement on the long-range missiles, which are used to strike targets deep inside enemy territory, was reached this week on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey’s capital, Ankara.

“This will close an important strategic gap in our defense, and at the same time, we will work to develop our own European systems and station them in Europe,” Merz told parliament after returning from the two-day summit.

The deal struck with the Trump administration amounts to broader export of American know-how to some of its major allies in Europe, whose security posture has been upended by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said the U.S. will give Ukraine a license to make Patriot air defense systems to counter missile attacks from Russia — a huge coup for Kyiv which has long requested the technology.

The Tomahawk cruise missile has been in the U.S. military’s inventory since the 1980s. While slow by missile standards, the cruise missile flies around 100 feet (about 30 meters) off the ground, making it harder to detect by defense systems.

The missile boasts an impressive range of around 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) and precision guidance systems that make it the go-to weapon for striking targets that are deep inland or in hostile territory.