Europe

Europe

German Chancellor Merz makes first trip to London to sign "friendship treaty" with Starmer

17 July 2025 08:57 (UTC +04:00)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to London Thursday to sign a "friendship treaty" with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as Britain seeks to improve post-Brexit ties with its neighbours, APA reports citing Franmce 24.

They will also discuss continued support for Ukraine, with both London and Berlin expected to play a role in US President Donald Trump's plan to send weapons to Kyiv with financing from other NATO countries.

The visit is Merz's first to the UK as chancellor, although he has already met Starmer several times, including on a trip to Ukraine just days after he took office in early May.

The wide-ranging new treaty between Germany and Britain will refer to the turbulent security situation that both countries face and include a mutual defence pact.

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 on NATO's eastern flank.

The two countries already signed a landmark defence agreement in October and in May said they would begin developing strike missiles with a range of 2,000-plus kilometres (1,250 miles).

Merz and Starmer are set to announce Thursday that this system will be delivered within the next decade, and they will unveil a new agreement on boosting UK defence exports to Germany such as Boxer armoured vehicles and Typhoon jets.