Germany and Britain sign a declaration of mutual defense
Britain and Germany on Wednesday signed a mutual defense agreement and pledged to work more closely to strengthen their defense industries, strengthen European security and support Ukraine in their fight against Russian forces.
At a joint news conference with British Defense Secretary John Haley, his German counterpart Boris Pistorius said after the agreement was signed, that his country was working closely with Britain to enhance Ukraine’s drone capabilities.
For his part, the British defense secretary said that if Russian President Vladimir Putin gets what he wants, he won’t stop at Ukraine only, adding that his country has pledged to accelerate the aid promised to Ukraine.
Britain’s new defense secretary’s visit to Germany is part of a two-day trip that includes stops in France, Poland and Estonia, during which he underlines the commitment of Britain’s new Labor party government to deepening defense ties with its EU allies.
“These visits send a clear message that European security will be the first external and defense priority for this government,” he said.
“Our new defense declaration between United Kingdom and Germany will usher in a new and deep defense relationship, based on shared values among nations,” he said in a statement.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said the two countries would also work together to tackle security challenges such as in the internet.
Britain’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, said he wanted Britain to do so to strengthen cooperation with European allies on defense and security to better support Ukraine, a message he repeated at a meeting of the European political group last week.
Starmer also proposed the idea of a security agreement between United Kingdom and the European Union, covering a range of areas such as energy and supply chains, epidemics and migration.
