German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer met in London on July 17 to sign an Anglo-German accord, which Merz had hinted beforehand would be a document unprecedented in the history of the two countries’ relations. Elements of the agreement included cooperation on the migrant crisis and economic cooperation, but the centerpiece was a mutual defense pact, in which the countries agreed to “assist one another, including by military means, in case of an armed attack on the other.” This closely echoes the agreement between the U.K. and France signed last week which included close cooperation between the two countries’ nuclear forces.
In the press conference with the two leaders, Merz called it “a historic day for German-British relations” and expressed his wish to bring Germany closer to the British Empire: “We want to work more closely together, especially after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. It is long overdue that we conclude such a treaty with each other. We want to work more closely together in the area of defense, in the area of foreign policy, but also in the area of economic policy and domestic policy. There are so many areas where the U.K. and we can work closely together, even more closely than in the past.”
Andrew Rawnsley from the liberal Observer welcomed the meeting, writing, “It’s important that they talk to each other, meet, coordinate. Not just because of President Putin and Ukraine, but also because of Donald Trump, who some would say represents an existential challenge for European countries to take greater care of their defense.” Hints in German media speak of a number of cooperation agreements on the joint development of new, longer-range missiles (against Russia, that is) and other military issues.
