German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is making his first official visit to London today to sign a major friendship and cooperation treaty with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. This visit is part of a broader effort to restore the European Union’s ties with Great Britain, Reuters reports.
Merz’s one-day stay in Britain follows a three-day visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, signaling increased cooperation among Europe’s three largest powers. This comes at a time of escalating threats to the continent and growing uncertainty regarding their allied relationship with the United States.
Europe faces new American tariffs following President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, alongside doubts about the U.S. commitment to defending European allies, including Ukraine against Russian aggression.
“This agreement comes at a time when, as Europeans, we are particularly challenged in terms of security policy,” a German official stated before the delegation’s departure for London.
Germany typically holds friendship treaties with only a handful of nations, like France, underscoring the symbolic closeness of these relationships. Nearly a decade after Brexit, the new treaty includes a mutual assistance clause which, “in light of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, is very important,” the official noted.
This builds on a defense agreement reached last year that involved the joint development of long-range offensive weapons. It also follows France and Britain’s agreement last week to strengthen cooperation on their respective nuclear arsenals.
As part of today’s announcement, Britain and Germany will pledge to “pursue joint export campaigns” to secure orders from other countries for jointly produced equipment, such as the Typhoon Eurofighter jet and the Boxer armored vehicle. This could significantly boost sales and marks a major shift from the past decade, when Germany blocked Saudi Arabia and Turkey from purchasing Typhoons.
