Germany Proposes To Develop An Alternative To Tomahawk Together With Ukraine

• 4.05.2026, 19:23

This will strengthen Russia's conventional deterrence.

German politician from the Christian Democratic Union and defense expert Roderich Kiesewetter criticized the US refusal to deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany and called for the creation of alternative long-range systems together with Ukraine and European partners. He was quoted by Tagesschau on May 4.

He said that the refusal to deploy U.S. missiles is a serious mistake, because it weakens the West's defense capabilities amid the threat from Russia. The politician emphasized that Russia has already violated international agreements on medium-range missiles, so Europe needs to respond by developing its own or joint weapons.

Kiesewetter believes that new systems could be developed jointly with Ukraine until about 2030 and this would strengthen Russia's conventional deterrence.

A similar position was expressed by security expert Niko Lange. He said that in the absence of U.S. missiles, Europe needs "long-range systems independent of the United States" that could provide deterrence. He warned that failure to do so could leave a "defense gap" that Russia could use to pressure Europe.