German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany will purchase Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States and deploy them as part of efforts to strengthen the country's defense capabilities.

Addressing the Bundestag, Merz said the NATO summit concluded with better-than-expected results, describing the alliance as "united, strong and confident."

He said European countries had demonstrated a shared determination to assume greater responsibility for defense, adding that Germany would raise its defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product ahead of the target date agreed within NATO.

Merz stressed the importance of increased defense spending, saying, "The best social security system is meaningless if we cannot live in freedom and peace."

Defense cooperation with U.S.

Referring to agreements reached with the United States during the NATO summit, Merz said Germany would acquire Tomahawk cruise missiles and deploy the systems on German territory.

"With this, we are closing a significant strategic gap in our defense. At the same time, we will continue working to develop and deploy our own European systems," he said.

The Tomahawk is a long-range, precision-guided cruise missile designed to strike targets deep inside enemy territory and has been widely used by the U.S. military for decades. Germany's planned acquisition is part of broader efforts to strengthen NATO's deterrence and defense posture in Europe.(ILKHA)