France and Germany reach nuclear deal as Europe builds up defences

The leaders of Germany and France announced on Friday that the German military would participate in a Nuclear exercise under a French initiative to deepen European nuclear cooperation.The move by both countries to deepen nuclear cooperation underscores growing European defence self-reliance amid concerns about the future of US security commitments to the continent.“We will have German conventional forces participate in a Nuclear exercise conducted by the French armed forces before the end of this year,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at Norvenich airbase near Cologne in western Germany.He said that the cooperation with France “complements” the Nato nuclear sharing agreement, to which Germany remains committed. US nuclear bombs are stationed in Germany as part of the treaty organisation’s nuclear deterrent, and German fighter jets have been certified to potentially carry the weapons in case of an emergency.Previous German leaders have refused offers of nuclear cooperation with France, Merz said, but “the world we live in today requires new answers.”A Eurofighter jet of the German Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, in a hangar of the Noervenich Air Base, in Noervenich, Germany, on Friday. Photo: EPAGermany’s participation in the Nuclear exercise will be with conventional means for now, Merz said.