Germany and Britain to sign a new 'friendship agreement'
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to London for the first time since taking his role earlier this year as Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to realign the UK-EU post-Brexit relationship.
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A new treaty will refer to the turbulent security situation that both countries face and include a mutual defence pact. The text is expected to say that the countries 'shall assist on another' in case of an 'armed attack'.
While Britain and Germany already have a commitment to mutual defence as Nato members, the treaty is expected to pave the way for greater defence cooperation, including in weapons development and operations.
The leaders will use the opportunity to discuss their support for Ukraine after both governments are due to send a new tranche of weapons to Kyiv following a US-backed deal with Nato this week.
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© AFP 2025
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