Twelve countries, including the United Kingdom, are planning to invest more than $50 billion over the next decade to develop a new long-range missile aimed at strengthening Europe’s defense capabilities. The initiative, known as “Precision Strike in Depth,” is scheduled to be discussed on Wednesday, July 8, during a NATO meeting in Ankara.
The UK Prime Minister’s Office said the missile is being designed to strike targets at a range of approximately 300 kilometers with high precision. In later phases of development, its range could be extended to around 2,000 kilometers. The project is being described as one of NATO’s most advanced weapons development programs.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO gathering with leaders from around 12 participating countries to discuss the details of the initiative. He said the UK-led program would strengthen cooperation among European allies and help safeguard NATO’s security in the years ahead.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the initiative reflects the evolving global security environment. She emphasized that the objective is to build a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO framework while enhancing the alliance’s deterrence against emerging security threats.
According to the report, the missile system is not expected to become operational before the 2030s. The British government had previously pledged to invest approximately $405 billion in defense by 2030.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged NATO member states to assume a greater share of the alliance’s defense spending. NATO members have also agreed to allocate 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) to defense and security by 2035.
Starmer stressed that NATO is not seeking confrontation with Russia but must remain fully prepared to defend all member states. The UK government also stated that NATO fighter aircraft have been scrambled more than 700 times to intercept Russian aircraft approaching allied airspace.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on NATO members to urgently provide Kyiv with the air defense systems it needs. The UK Prime Minister’s Office said the war in Ukraine has demonstrated that long-range strike capabilities play a crucial role in disrupting Russian military operations and supply lines.
In response, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia is closely monitoring the NATO meeting in Ankara. He stated that the delivery of additional weapons to Ukraine would not prevent Russia from continuing its military operations and reiterated that Moscow still considers a political and diplomatic settlement the preferred path to ending the conflict.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
