Returning from the NATO Summit, Germany will buy Tomahawk missiles from the US

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz with US President Donald Trump/DOK The White House

JAKARTA - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed that his country and the United States had signed a deal to buy Tomahawk missiles.

"We have reached an agreement with the US government on the sidelines of the NATO meeting in Ankara, we will buy US-made Tomahawk missiles and place them in Germany. This will help us close an important strategic gap in our defense," Merz said in his speech after the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Thursday, July 9.

Chancellor Merz explained at the same time that his party would try to develop its own system and place it in Europe.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon initially planned to cancel the sale of Tomahawk missiles to Germany, in part because officials feared the Russians would see it as an escalation.

Merz said that although NATO is and will remain a transatlantic alliance, Europeans cannot simply hand over their security to others. The German leader also praised the results of the NATO summit in Ankara.

"The result exceeded all my expectations. NATO is united, strong, and confident," he said.

Previously, during the closing of the NATO Summit in Ankara, Merz said the alliance had taken an important step forward on the road to a new NATO.

"Starting today, NATO is more European than ever. However, NATO remains firmly based on the transatlantic partnership," he said.