Berlin and London agree to develop missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers.

 Germany and Britain plan to develop an offensive weapons system with a range exceeding 2,000 kilometers, the first step in implementing their defense agreement to counter the Russian threat.

British Defense Secretary John Healey said that he and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, agreed during their meeting in Berlin on Thursday to "begin working together to develop a new European capability to strike targets with precision in depth, with a range of more than 2,000 kilometers."

This range is significantly greater than that of the Franco-British Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

This project, which does not include a specific timetable, is the first concrete implementation of the Trinity House Treaty, the first of its kind between the two countries, signed in October 2024.

The German Defense Minister indicated that this step comes "within the framework of a European approach to long-range strikes."

The European Approach to Long-Range Strike (EALSA) initiative, launched by France, Germany, Italy, and Poland, aims to develop and produce long-range strike weapons amid rising tensions with Russia.

Pistorius emphasized that "other partners can join our initiative and benefit from the synergies."

The Trinity House Agreement stipulates increased training between the German and British militaries to strengthen NATO's eastern flank.

It also stipulates that German P8 aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft used particularly in anti-submarine warfare, will operate from a Scottish base to contribute to the protection of the North Atlantic.

To this end, Pistorius said that Germany "will purchase British Sting Ray torpedoes."

Germany and Britain have been the two main European countries providing military assistance to Kyiv since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Britain has supplied Ukraine with long-range missiles, something Germany had refused to do under former Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was open to this possibility, but with conditions.