BERLIN: Germany and Britain will on July 17 sign a defence treaty that includes a mutual assistance clause in the event of a threat to either country, the Politico news outlet reported on Wednesday. The report came almost a year after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz issued a joint declaration promising closer cooperation on issues from trade to security. That broad agreement is now being finalised, according to Politico, and a key area is defence.
It will include a section stating that any strategic threat to one country would represent a threat to the other and the accord is expected to be signed on July 17, it reported, citing two London-based officials. Although both countries are committed to Nato, the defence agreement highlights a shift among European states, including Germany under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, to work more closely together and rely less on the US under President Donald Trump. A spokesperson for the German defence ministry said on Wednesday that he had no new developments to impart when asked about the Politico report at a government press conference in Berlin. — Reuters
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