The United States approved the sale of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Germany, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the deal on Thursday. The agreement was reached on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara. Germany will purchase the missiles and station them in Germany, closing an important strategic gap in its defence. Germany also said it will continue work on developing its own European systems and station them in Europe.

Reports differ on the missiles' range. Sources in the Gulf and other outlets describe the missiles as long‑range Tomahawk cruise missiles, while Turkey‑based outlets characterize them as medium‑range.

Alarabiya reported that Germany and the United States signed a letter of intent for the missile deal on Tuesday, that the missiles can travel more than 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles), and that they are mainly launched from submarines and warships. Alarabiya also noted that Merz did not specify when the missiles would be delivered. Hindustan Times reported that Merz cited depleted arsenals because of the wars in Iran and Ukraine as the reason for calling off a previously planned deployment, and that a spat occurred between Merz and U.S. President Donald Trump over the war in Iran. Al‑Monitor reported that the deal represents a shift from planned U.S. deployments to Germany's own long‑range strike capability. Daily Sabah reported the missiles are medium‑range Tomahawk cruise missiles.