German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock defended an agreement with Washington on the stationing of long-range US missiles in Germany, citing the threat Russia poses to European security. 

"Making foreign policy today means recognizing that the principle of hope will not protect us from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's Russia," Baerbock wrote in an opinion piece for the German weekly Bild am Sonntag newspaper. 

"What protects us now is that we invest in our own security and strength — in the EU, in NATO and in Germany. And this includes the decision to deploy long-range American weapons systems," she added.

The minister emphasized that Germany needs "a credible deterrent" against Russia, "which also protects the Poles, the Baltic peoples and the Finns — our partners who share a direct border with Russia and have experienced how it is using hybrid measures at the border in recent months."

Baerbock accused Putin of responding to every peace initiative with escalation, writing that he wants only for "Ukraine to submit to him."

What weapon systems will US move to Germany?

On the sidelines of a NATO summit in July, the United States and Germany agreed to the deployment of long-range fire capabilities on German soil starting in 2026.

The move will see a return of long-range US cruise missiles to Germany for the first time since the late 1990s, likely including SM-6, Tomahawk and developmental hypersonic weapons with a longer range than those currently in the armories of European militaries.

The decision received a mixed reaction in Berlin, with some greeting and others criticizing it.

Several parties, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's own center-left Social Democrats, have criticized the plan and called for it to be referred to parliament for debate.

sri/sms (AFP, Reuters, dpa)