Germany and France have agreed that German troops will participate in a French military nuclear exercise later this year, marking the first time the two countries have cooperated directly on nuclear deterrence. The announcement came on Friday after a joint meeting of both governments' full cabinets, held at Augustusburg Palace in Brühl, near Cologne — a Rococo château with deep symbolic resonance: it was here in 1962 that French President Charles de Gaulle first proposed a friendship treaty to German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, an accord eventually signed in Paris in 1963 that remains the foundation of the bilateral relationship.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the move as charting "a new common path in deterrence," while stressing that it remains "complementary to, and not a replacement for" Germany's existing nuclear-sharing arrangements within NATO, which centre on the stationing of US nuclear warheads in Europe. French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is one of Western Europe's two nuclear powers alongside the United Kingdom, was equally careful to draw boundaries: Germany will not contribute financially to France's nuclear programme under any circumstances, he said, adding that "the French nuclear programme will always be financed by France." The cooperation, both leaders emphasised, is intended to increase strategic uncertainty for potential adversaries and improve European security. A newly created strategic steering group will examine further options, though Merz cautioned it was "far too early" to speak of a new nuclear doctrine.

The summit also sought to recover momentum after a significant setback: the collapse of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a joint Franco-German-Spanish fighter jet project worth hundreds of billions of euros that fell apart last month due to disputes between aerospace firms Airbus and France's Dassault. Rather than abandoning the effort entirely, both leaders said they would salvage key elements, in particular the project's so-called Combat Cloud — a digital platform designed to network aircraft, drones, and other weapons systems. Merz argued that this connectivity infrastructure could ultimately prove more strategically valuable than the aircraft itself. A joint declaration spoke of developing a "future system network" linking manned jets and unmanned drones to achieve interoperability across European air forces. The two sides also confirmed Germany would participate in an autumn exercise organised by the Coalition of the Willing, the grouping of Ukraine's European allies, as part of preparations for a potential post-war multinational force.

The timing of the summit carries its own political urgency. For Macron, who cannot seek a third presidential term, this was in all likelihood his final Franco-German ministerial council as head of state. France's presidential election is scheduled for next spring, and polls show Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Rassemblement National, as a strong contender. A Le Pen presidency could significantly slow European defence integration, given her emphasis on national sovereignty and scepticism towards the EU. Merz said Germany's "hand remains extended" to France regardless of the electoral outcome, while Macron urged observers not to assume the worst of French voters. Both leaders also signalled a newly aligned stance on China, agreeing to develop a joint EU position by September on what Merz called "drastically undervalued" Chinese currency and heavily subsidised Chinese exports that he said were costing European jobs.