Twelve NATO members, led by the United Kingdom, have committed more than £37 billion ($50 billion) over the next decade to develop a new long-range precision missile system, a project formally announced on Wednesday at the alliance’s summit in Ankara. The Deep Precision Strike initiative aims to field a weapon capable of hitting targets at distances of at least 300 kilometres with what British officials describe as extreme accuracy, with future variants potentially reaching 2,000 kilometres. The system is not expected to enter service until the 2030s.

Viewed from London, the programme is a concrete step toward a “stronger, more European NATO,” as Prime Minister Keir Starmer put it, designed to unite allies and deter adversaries. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC the investment reflected a recognition that “we’re in a more dangerous world” and would send a clear signal to Moscow that the alliance is prepared to defend its citizens. The announcement, however, coincides with renewed pressure from Washington. President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that European allies shoulder a larger share of the defence burden, and Starmer faces criticism for not yet setting out a plan to meet a target of spending 3.5 percent of GDP on defence by 2035, a goal endorsed by most members last year. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has separately launched a six-month review of American force deployments in Europe, a move that, according to European diplomats, has injected fresh uncertainty into the continent’s security architecture.

The missile project is part of a broader European effort to build indigenous strike capabilities and reduce reliance on US systems, a priority sharpened by Russia’s war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used his summit address to urge allies to supply urgently needed air defence systems, while British officials noted that Kyiv’s own long-range strikes on logistics hubs have significantly degraded Russian offensive capacity. From Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would closely monitor the summit and that no new weapons supplied to Ukraine would prevent Russia from achieving its military objectives.

The Ankara summit, Starmer’s last as prime minister, is expected to see the Deep Precision Strike initiative formally endorsed by the participating nations. While the project signals European resolve, its decade-long development timeline means it will not immediately alter the military balance. The dossier now moves to detailed technical and funding negotiations among the coalition members, with the first operational systems unlikely before the mid-2030s.