Britain, Germany jointly developing missiles: Ministers

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (right), and British Defence Secretary John Healey sit for the signing of an agreement at the Villa Borsig for the Trinity House Defence Ministerial Council in Berlin, on May 15, 2025. Photo / AFP

Britain and Germany are working together to develop strike missiles, their defence ministers said on Thursday, as Russia’s war rages in Ukraine and European powers seek to reduce dependence on US weapons.

“We together will begin co-leading the development of a new European-developed deep precision strike capability with a range of 2000 plus kilometres,” Britain’s John Healey said at a bilateral meeting in Berlin.

Germany’s Boris Pistorius said work on the missiles had begun and would be critical for European security.

“The current threat situation makes it absolutely clear that we need to close all capability gaps,” Pistorius said. “And we need to do that as quickly as possible.”

Europe’s governments have looked to establish more independence from US military technology amid doubts about Washington’s future commitment to Europe’s security.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in February that Europe would have to work to achieve “real independence” from the United States, whose leadership now seemed “largely indifferent” to the fate of Europe.

The defence ministers also pointed to other projects their countries were working on, including joint procurement of torpedoes and the establishment of a new forum bringing together defence firms from each nation.

“European nations in Nato must do more and step up to strengthen European security,” Healey said. “The best way to do that is for leading nations like Germany and the UK to do more together.”

-Agence France-Presse