In a major step to strengthen European security, the United Kingdom and Germany today signed a broad “friendship treaty” that includes a promise to help each other if either is attacked. The agreement, signed in London by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, directly calls Russian aggression the “biggest and most immediate threat” to their safety.
This deal is the first time Britain and Germany have made such a mutual defense promise, with both countries stating they believe “no major threat to one would fail to be a major threat to the other.” According to Politico, both nations stress that NATO is still their main security alliance, but it’s hard to believe them when this agreement was what NATO was supposed to be.
This separate agreement shows their shared commitment to making Europe’s defenses stronger, especially as worries grow about how reliable the US will be in defending NATO allies, particularly if a different US leader takes office in the future.
UK and Germany are the first countries to show how unreliable NATO has become
The treaty covers more than just defense. It includes working more closely on foreign policy, economic growth, exchanges between citizens, and fighting organized crime that crosses borders, especially smuggling of migrants. It also makes the “triangle alliance” official by promising deeper cooperation with France.
A major part of the defense agreement is the plan to reduce barriers in defense trade and set up ways to deal with hybrid threats, like attacks on infrastructure and harmful cyber activity. Additionally, the two countries announced they will work together on export deals and, importantly, develop a new long-range missile system. This “Deep Precision Strike” weapon is meant to have a range of more than 2,000 kilometers and should be ready within the next ten years, with big investments in defense industries in both the UK and Europe.
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 2, 2025
LONDON AND BERLIN TO SIGN MUTUAL DEFENSE TREATY AS U.S. PULLS BACK
The UK and Germany are finalizing a bilateral defense pact with a mutual defense clause – meaning if one is threatened, the other responds.
Think NATO-style solidarity, but just the 2 of them.
The deal,… https://t.co/FB4vlALqTv pic.twitter.com/o5zmozYSTY
For Germany, which does not have its own nuclear weapons and depends on the protection of the US and Europe’s nuclear powers (the UK and France), this deal with the UK is especially important. While the treaty does not specifically mention nuclear weapons, building stronger ties with a country that has them is a big deal.
The agreement also includes practical benefits for citizens, such as letting frequent travelers from the UK use e-gates in Germany as part of a trial program. The treaty, which took 18 rounds of talks to finalize, is seen by both leaders as a historic moment in post-Brexit relations, meant to bring the UK and Germany “closer than ever before.”
