Germany in talks on Ukrainian Bars missiles as it seeks thousands of weapons

Germany is seeking thousands of long-range precision weapons and is discussing joint production and purchases of Ukrainian Bars cruise missiles, UNIAN and LIGA.net reported, citing Bloomberg's unnamed sources familiar with the talks. The reports link the procurement push to efforts to deter Russia and delays in deliveries of US Tomahawk missiles.

German defence ministry officials are discussing a contract worth more than €1 billion with US defence startup Covenant for thousands of ground-launched Anthem cruise missiles, according to the reports. They did not specify the quantity or value of a possible Ukrainian contract, and said the Bars manufacturer had not been publicly disclosed.

Other potential suppliers include Destinus SA, offering Ruta missiles, and German-British startup Hypersonica, which is developing HS1. The reports describe procurement plans and negotiations; they do not establish that these contracts have been signed or that Bars deliveries to Germany have begun.

Covenant opened a factory in Leipzig in 2026 and expects missile production to begin in early 2027, according to UNIAN's account. It aims to produce 1,000 missiles there by the end of 2027 and reach annual capacity of 5,000 by 2028. Those figures are production targets.