Britain, Germany sign friendship treaty, deepening ties in the face of threats

AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS

Britain and Germany signed a comprehensive friendship treaty today, deepening cooperation in areas from defense to transport, on the first official visit of Chancellor Friedrich Merz to London, the latest step in resetting the UK's relationship with the EU.

Merz's one-day visit followed a three-day state visit to Britain by French President Emmanuel Macron, signaling stronger cooperation between the three leading European powers at a time of threats to the continent and uncertainty about their American ally.

“This is a historic day for German-British relations,” Merz said at a signing ceremony at the Victoria and Albert Museum, founded by Britain's Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, who is of German descent. “We want to deepen cooperation in defense, foreign policy, but also economic and domestic policy.”

Nearly a decade after Britain voted to leave the European Union, the deal represents, on the one hand, a sign of normalization in German-British relations, said Nikolai von Ondarza of the Berlin-based SWP think tank. “On the other hand, the deal shows that the UK has become an even more important security partner due to transatlantic uncertainty.”

Europe has been facing new US tariffs since Donald Trump returned to the White House, as well as questions about America’s commitment to defending European allies, including Ukraine, from a Russian invasion.

The deal includes a mutual assistance clause that is “of great importance in light of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine,” a German official said earlier this week.

It builds on a defence deal last year that included the joint development of long-range strike weapons, and comes after France and Britain agreed last week to step up cooperation on their nuclear arsenals.