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Flight burden: Russia is ready to discuss with the United States the issue of missile deployment in Germany
The Russian Federation is open to dialogue with the United States on the deployment of long-range missiles in Germany in 2026. This was stated to Izvestia by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko. According to him, militaristic sentiments now prevail in the West, but Moscow is ready to respond effectively if local elites take the path of creating a military potential against it. The appearance of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in the EU may lead to a sharp escalation of tension and a decrease in security. However, the expert community believes that Moscow and Washington still have a chance to agree on key issues of strategic stability.
US missiles in Germany
In 2026, American long-range missiles capable of hitting targets deep in Russia should appear in Germany. The agreement on this was reached two years ago, when the Democrats, led by Joe Biden, controlled the White House. However, it seems that the change of administration in the United States has not yet affected these plans. The Germans expect that the weapons will be deployed according to the schedule.
"The German government is committed to the planned deployment in accordance with the US-German declaration of July 10, 2024," the German Embassy in Moscow told Izvestia.
The White House press service then announced that the United States would begin "sporadic" deployment of weapons, which could become permanent in the future. Long-range firing units will have to include Tomahawk missiles, SM-6 and hypersonic weapons under development, "with a significantly longer range than current ground-based firepower in Europe."
The United States unilaterally withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in 2019. Russia responded in kind. At the same time, Moscow has stated that it will not deploy intermediate-range and shorter-range weapons in Europe or other regions of the world until American weapons are available there. In 2025, in response to the unfriendly steps of the West, Russia announced the lifting of a voluntary moratorium. Currently, Russia and the United States are not conducting a dialogue on strategic stability. However, Russia is ready to discuss with the United States the issue of deploying missiles in Germany, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Izvestia.
— We have never avoided the discussion, but when the Americans withdrew from the treaty on intermediate—range and shorter-range missiles, the first thing we did was announce a moratorium on the deployment of these missiles, stating that we would not deploy the relevant systems until American systems were deployed in Europe.. Everything. What else do you need? I should have said, "Yes, we will act this way," if these were responsible politicians who really care about the security interests of their countries," the source said.
The diplomat stressed that Russia's position has been repeatedly brought to the attention of the American side and is well known by the Europeans.
— But I would like to emphasize once again that militaristic sentiments prevail today. And what Europe is doing today is an attempt to build security against Russia," he said.
According to the diplomat, such a policy is "absolutely a dead end," since there can be no security if it is not based on the principle of indivisibility. This implies that no one is strengthening their security at the expense of others, Grushko stressed.
— Therefore, if they follow the path of creating a military potential against the Russian Federation, they should understand that the same, even more effective counter-military potential will be created. And instead of a reasonable balance of military restraint that takes into account the national interests and security of all parties, there will be a balance of threats and counter—threats," the diplomat said.
What could be the response of the Russian Federation
Last year, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Berlin plans to purchase Typhon missile systems from Washington, which were previously banned under the INF treaty. Germany was the first European country to become interested in these latest American complexes.
In addition, in November, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov reported to Vladimir Putin that the Dark Eagle complex with hypersonic missiles would enter service with the US Army by the end of 2025. He noted that the flight time from the territory of Germany, where the complex is planned to be located, to the facilities of the central part of Russia will be about six to seven minutes.
— Berlin knows that the deployment of the American INF on the territory of Germany will be perceived by Moscow as an immediate threat to the security of our country with all the ensuing consequences. However, these counterproductive plans have not yet been abandoned," the Russian Embassy in Berlin told Izvestia.
Plans to deploy American Typhon missile systems and advanced Dark Eagle hypersonic systems in Germany are an event that fundamentally changes the security architecture and strategic situation in Europe, military expert Dmitry Kornev notes.
— Typhon complexes are a universal launch platform capable of using both SM—6 (Standard Missile 6) anti-aircraft missiles operating on a quasi-ballistic trajectory and Tomahawk subsonic cruise missiles. If we add to this the potential appearance of hypersonic Dark Eagle complexes, which are just beginning to enter service with the US Army, we get a combined high—intensity threat," he explained to Izvestia.
According to the expert, the key danger lies not so much in the fact that these systems are located in Germany, as in their mobility. Even from German territory, the range of the hypersonic Dark Eagle (up to 2.8 thousand km) and Tomahawk cruise missiles makes it possible to target a significant part of the European part of Russia.
— There is also a threat of transfer. In the event of an escalation of the situation, these complexes can be quickly relocated to the eastern flank of NATO — to Poland, the Baltic States or Finland. In this scenario, the flight time will be reduced to critical values, and the affected area will cover a huge number of strategically important objects deep in the Russian Federation," Dmitry Kornev specified.
The Russian Federation has the necessary tools to counter these threats. The country's military and political leadership has already made it clear that the scale of deployment of the latest medium-range systems, such as the Oreshnik, will directly depend on the international situation. Russia has used it on the territory of Ukraine at least twice — in November 2025 and January 2026. Also in December, the Ministry of Defense announced that the Oreshnik had entered combat duty in Belarus.
— This contains a direct signal to our opponents: the "Hazel Tree" is considered as an effective means of compensating for the imbalance created by American missiles in Europe. In addition, do not forget about the aviation complexes with hypersonic Dagger missiles on MiG-31I carriers. Together, these systems are capable of neutralizing the threat posed by both subsonic Tomahawks and promising American hypersonics," Dmitry Kornev recalled.
However, despite the growing tension, the situation cannot be considered a dead end, the analyst says. According to him, there is still a chance that Russia and the United States will be able to start a dialogue on strategic stability. Donald Trump speaks from a more pragmatic standpoint than Joe Biden.
"Given that the current US administration's attitude towards European NATO partners has become more pragmatic and less ideologized than that of its predecessors, there is a possibility of reaching agreements," he said.
According to him, at the same time, Russia is ready for both a tough military-technical response and a constructive discussion of new security rules if Washington shows a counter initiative.
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