A medium-range ballistic missile target is launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, before being successfully intercepted by Standard Missile-6 missiles fired from the guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones, in Kauai, Hawaii, US, August 29, 2017 in this handout image. (Latonja Martin/US Navy/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo) |
The decision will send Germany the most potent US weapons to be based on the European continent since the Cold War.
A US-German statement said the "episodic deployments" were in preparation for longer-term stationing in Europe of capabilities that would include SM-6, Tomahawk and developmental hypersonic weapons with greater range.
A communique said the allies intend to provide Ukraine with at least 40 billion euros in military aid within the next year.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on the sidelines of the NATO summit that the first batch of US-built F-16 fighter jets are already being transferred to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands and will be flying over Ukrainian skies this summer.
He said a robust package for Ukraine will be unveiled over the next couple of days that will build a clear and strong bridge for Ukraine's NATO membership.