The United States and Germany have announced that the U.S. will start deploying longer-range missiles in Germany in 2026, a major step aimed at countering what the allies say is a growing threat from Russia to European security. This was announced at a meeting of the NATO alliance on Tuesday.
The decision will see Germany host some of the most potent U.S. weapons to be based on the European continent since the Cold War, sending a clear warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin. A U.S.-German statement said the "episodic deployments" were in preparation for longer-term stationing in Europe of capabilities that would include SM-6, Tomahawk, and developmental hypersonic weapons with greater range.
This move would have been banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed by the U.S. and the Soviet Union in 1987, but that treaty collapsed in 2019. The Allies said in a communique released on Wednesday: "We cannot discount the possibility of an attack against Allies' sovereignty and territorial integrity."
In parallel, more military aid is being sent to Ukraine as the allies seek to bolster Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The communique stated the allies intend to provide Ukraine with at least 40 billion euros ($43.28 billion) in military assistance within the next year, though this fell short of the multi-year commitment NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had pushed for.
The document also took a stronger stance on China, calling it a "decisive enabler" of Russia's war effort in Ukraine and stating that Beijing continues to pose systemic challenges to Euro-Atlantic security. Stoltenberg noted this was the first time the 32 NATO allies had jointly labeled China in this way, describing it as an important message.
While NATO does not impose sanctions itself, Stoltenberg said the clear message from the NATO summit was that individual allies should take action to cease material and political support for Russia's war with China. The communique also expressed concern about China's rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal and called for strategic risk reduction talks with Beijing.
NATO, 'THE GREATEST ALLIANCE"
On Wednesday, President Biden hosted a dinner at the White House for NATO partners and allies to celebrate what he called "the greatest alliance the world has ever known." In a speech the day prior, Biden had stated that NATO was "stronger than it's ever been" and that Ukraine could and would stop Russian President Putin "with our full, collective support."
At the dinner, Biden expressed his pleasure that all NATO members were pledging to expand their industrial bases and develop domestic defense production plans. "We cannot allow the alliance to fall behind," Biden said. "We can and will defend every inch of NATO territory and we'll do it together."
During the event, Biden had a friendly exchange with new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, celebrating England's 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 soccer tournament. Biden described the UK as the "knot" tying together the transatlantic NATO alliance, emphasizing the need for continued cooperation between the two countries.
Biden also met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finnish President Alexander Stubb to discuss strengthening their trilateral cooperation on economic and defense industrial production issues.
The 81-year-old Biden has faced questions about his fitness for office, and the NATO summit was seen as an opportunity for him to stage a comeback, surrounded by allied leaders he has cultivated relationships with over his three years in office.
However, the upcoming U.S. presidential election in November could signal a shift in Washington's support for Ukraine and NATO. Republican candidate Donald Trump, 78, has previously questioned the level of aid given to Ukraine and U.S. support for allies in general.
In a recent interview, Trump said he would not pull the U.S. out of NATO but reiterated his desire for members to pay more, stating "We're protecting Europe. They take advantage of us very badly." Trump had also previously pushed congressional Republicans to stall military aid for Ukraine before later reversing course.
The uncertainty surrounding U.S. leadership has unsettled NATO allies, with Finnish President Stubb expressing concern about the "polarization of the political climate" in the United States, which he described as "very toxic."
Despite these tensions, the NATO communique reaffirmed the alliance's continued support for Ukraine's "irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership" - a major point of contention among the allies.
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