US President Donald Trump has previously accused Ukraine of selling Western-supplied weapons on the black market<\/p>\n
Germany is preparing to buy a batch of low-cost cruise missiles from Ukraine to expand its long-range strike capabilities according to several media outlets, including the Financial Times and Bloomberg.
\nThe deal could be finalized in the coming weeks, FT said, citing officials familiar with the matter. It would initially involve a small batch of missiles for testing by the German Armed Forces, or Bundeswehr, early next year. If the tests prove successful, Berlin could reportedly place a follow-up order for several hundred missiles.
\nDubbed \u2018Bars\u2019 \u2013 meaning snow leopard in both Russian and Ukrainian \u2013 the cruise missiles, sometimes referred to as \u201cdrone missiles\u201d in Ukraine, are jet-powered weapons with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers and a payload of up to 105 kg.
\nGermany and Ukraine signed a deal to jointly produce Bars missiles in July 2026. Under that agreement, Berlin would finance production, with all the missiles produced being delivered to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Germany is buying every missile it can get. What is Berlin preparing for?<\/p>\n
The potential purchase comes amid a surge in German arms procurement as Chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s government seeks to turn the Bundeswehr into Europe\u2019s strongest conventional army, citing the threat of a potential conflict with Russia. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed such claims as \u201cnonsense,\u201d insisting that it has no intention of attacking any NATO member.
\nArmament drive
\nBloomberg reported earlier this week that Berlin was planning to acquire \u201cthousands of precision deep-strike weapons\u201d from several European and American companies. One proposed contract with US firm Covenant for the delivery of thousands of ground-launched Anthem cruise missiles could be worth more than \u20ac1 billion ($1.12 billion), according to the report.
\nBerlin emerged as Kiev\u2019s single biggest military donor after Washington drastically scaled back its aid under US President Donald Trump. Merz has prioritized military spending, including assistance to Kiev, despite acknowledging that Germany\u2019s economy is in a \u201cstructural crisis.\u201d His government amended the constitutional debt brake to fund the buildup and passed a 2026 budget allocating a record \u20ac108.2 billion for defense and \u20ac11.5 billion in military aid for Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
The greatest salesman: How Zelensky promoted his favorite weapons company abroad<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Germany\u2019s central bank has warned that the country is on course to record its largest budget deficit since reunification by 2028.
\nCashing in on war?
\nUkraine, in turn, appears to be actively seeking to cash in on weapons exports, including sales to its Western backers. In February, David Aloian, deputy secretary of Ukraine\u2019s National Security and Defense Council, told Reuters that the country expected to generate billions of dollars in revenue from it this year alone.
\nKiev halted all weapons exports following the escalation of the conflict in 2022, but Ukraine\u2019s Vladimir Zelensky reversed that decision when he announced plans to open nearly a dozen weapons export centers across Europe in early 2026.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Missiles supplied to Ukraine sold on \u2018open market\u2019 \u2013 Trump<\/p>\n
The plans have not stopped Kiev from seeking further financial and military assistance from Western nations. Last month, Ukrainian Defense Minister Evgeny Khmara suggested that Western donors supply Kiev with highly sought-after US-made Patriot interceptors from their own stockpiles, which would then be replenished with 1,000 missiles it plans to purchase with EU funds at some point in the future. In October, Zelensky himself lashed out at the country\u2019s backers over their reluctance to cover a major budget shortfall.
\nTrump accused Ukraine in mid-October of selling American-supplied missiles on the black market. He also claimed that Kiev had failed to account for billions of dollars in American military and financial aid.
\nUkrainian arms manufacturers have been implicated in some of the nation\u2019s numerous corruption scandals. Fire Point \u2013 a defense contractor personally promoted by Zelensky during his visits to Western nations \u2013 was reportedly effectively owned by the Ukrainian leader\u2019s longtime former business partner, Timur Mindich, known as \u2018Zelensky\u2019s wallet\u2019 in Kiev. The businessman fled Ukraine last year after a major corruption investigation named him as one of its primary suspects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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