Overview
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the Bundestag on Thursday that Germany and the United States agreed at the NATO summit in Ankara that Berlin will purchase Tomahawk cruise missiles and host them on German soil.
- Key implementation details remain secret or pending, including the number of missiles, delivery timetable and a US export licence expected in August, and German officials say stationing will not include US personnel to operate the weapons.
- NATO defence ministers in Ankara approved a large capability programme described in reporting as roughly €50 billion for projects to strengthen European deterrence and to develop an independent long‑range strike capability.
- Separately this week the US carried out fresh strikes on Iranian targets to degrade threats to shipping near the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was effectively over, and Iran's IRGC claimed attacks on US facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.
- Russia has banned diesel exports and begun fuel imports after Ukrainian strikes damaged refinery capacity, triggering nationwide shortages, long queues at petrol stations and government emergency measures to stabilise supplies.