Germany to join French nuclear exercises as Europe boosts defence

Germany will participate in a French military nuclear exercise this year, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Friday, as the two countries seek to bolster European defence amid the Russian threat and waning US commitment.

Speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at a press conference near Cologne, Merz said that this year would see German troops join the exercise. ‘This is complementary to our nuclear participation and deterrence within NATO, which we still hold to,’ he said.

Macron earlier this year identified Germany as one of eight countries participating in a French-led nuclear deterrence project, though he stressed that France will retain tight control over nuclear decision-making. For Macron, there is an urgent need to make progress before next spring’s presidential election, where far-right leader Marine Le Pen is a frontrunner.

The prospect of a Le Pen presidency adds uncertainty for European countries already scrambling to boost defence capabilities in the face of Russian aggression and US President Donald Trump’s wavering commitment. Merz also announced that Germany would take part in a manoeuvre in the autumn as part of the Coalition of the Willing group of Ukraine’s allies.

The two leaders met at Noervenich air base, symbolically emerging from a Super Puma helicopter, and held a joint defence council beside a French Rafale jet and a Eurofighter. The full cabinets of both governments then gathered for talks in a castle where de Gaulle and Adenauer agreed on a friendship treaty in 1962.

The meeting sought to move past the collapse of the joint Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet project, which fell victim to bickering between Airbus and Dassault. A joint statement said the allies would ‘investigate an approach’ for the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) tank project, which has also faced tensions after Rheinmetall entered the programme.

Article and image source: thelocal.fr