(TotalConservative.com) – European countries are promising to develop long-range ground-based missile technology in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Germany, France, Poland and Italy published a written statement outlining their intentions to develop cruise missiles that can hit targets over 310 miles (500 kilometers) away.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu told the press during a recent NATO summit in Washington, D.C. that the missiles were defensive, to deter further Russian aggression. He added that they hope other countries will consider signing onto the agreement. He said that the weapons would be developed over the following years.
Currently the governments of the U.S. and Germany have already announced deployment of U.S.-manufactured cruise missiles at some point in 2026. The announcement includes the use of hypersonic, SM-6, and Tomahawk missiles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government condemned the announcements suggesting the staging of long-ranged weapons so close to Moscow represents a very real threat to Russian national security. European weapons manufacturers don’t have any weapons equivalent to Russian or American technology. This is also not the first time American weapons have been positioned close to Russia.
Currently, European jets can fire cruise missiles including Britain’s Storm Shadow, Germany’s Taurus, and France’s Scalp missiles. A ground-based system with ranges between 1,000-2,000 kilometers is the goal of the pact.
These weapons were previously banned under a 1987 era agreement to avoid the development of ground-launched weapons systems with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. Many European nations including Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland destroyed their missiles in the late 20th century. Bulgaria and Slovakia followed suit within years.
The treaty was largely abandoned in 2019 after the U.S. pulled out, blaming Moscow for developing its 9M729 ground-based missile system. Russia denied the accusation at the time, but has since resumed production of advanced weapons which it claims are defensive in response to NATO aggression.
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