UPDATE 1-Germany, UK to sign mutual assistance defence pact, reports Politico

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 U.S. 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. Germany and Britain

launched negotiations in August 2024 on a bilateral treaty covering a broad range of areas, from defence and security cooperation, to labour and economic growth.

"We are in the final stages of finalising the treaty," a spokesperson for the foreign ministry said at the same press conference, adding that the German cabinet would sign off on it before the end of July. Britain's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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