Iryna Pohorila11:30, 11.07.24
The US is taking such a step for the first time since the end of the Cold War.
In 2026, the USA will begin deploying long-range weapons in Germany in order to strengthen NATO and ensure European defense.
This is stated in the joint statement of the two countries. According to the representatives of Berlin and Washington, the “episodic deployment” is preparation for the long-term deployment of a number of weapons, in particular SM-6 missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles and, in the future, hypersonic weapons, which have “a much greater range than current ground systems in Europe”.
As Bild writes , US cruise missiles can fly long distances and destroy military targets on enemy territory. These can be command centers, bunkers and radar installations. Tomahawks are launched from mobile launchers, ships or submarines. The range of American cruise missiles is up to 2,500 km, which means that in theory they can even reach Moscow.
According to the publication, Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to link the German and American armed forces so closely that no new US president, and perhaps Donald Trump, will be able to separate them without causing enormous damage.
The Russian Federation has already reacted to the plans of the Germans and Americans. In particular, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Serhiy Ryabkov said that the Kremlin “without nerves and emotions” will “produce a military response to the threat of the United States and Germany.” He expressed the opinion that these actions are aimed at harming the security of the Russian Federation, the BBC reports .
Prohibition on deployment of long-range missiles
The deployment of ground-based missiles with a range of more than 500 km was prohibited until 2019 in accordance with the Intermediate-Range Missile Treaty . It was signed in 1987 by then US President Ronald Reagan and the last leader of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev.
In 2019, the US withdrew from the treaty because the Kremlin was violating it.
(C)UNIAN 2024