Germany Seeks Deal to Co-Produce U.S. Weapons in Europe Ahead of NATO Summit

Germany is urging the United States to allow more U.S. weapons to be produced in Germany to help address Europe’s military shortfalls and to give U.S. President Donald Trump a reason to keep supporting European defense. According to Jin10, several people familiar with the matter said German officials have been engaging with their U.S. counterparts and hope to reach a co-production agreement before a NATO summit scheduled for next week in Ankara. The effort is part of a broader push by European countries to use their own defense-industrial capacity to stabilize strained relations with Washington, the sources said. People familiar with the talks said negotiations over the co-production concept have already begun between German and U.S. defense companies. The discussions reportedly cover “anything that helps both sides improve defense capabilities,” including co-producing long-range Tomahawk missiles and the most advanced PAC-3 missile variant used for the Patriot air defense system. One source said the response from the U.S. government and industry to the proposals has been “more positive than expected.”