Germany announces: Participation in French nuclear exercises

German Chancellor Merz stated on the 17th in North Rhine-Westphalia that Germany will send conventional troops to participate in French armed forces nuclear exercises for the first time this year.

The German-French Ministerial Council and the German-French Defense and Security Council meetings were held from the 16th to the 17th in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. After the meeting, Merz and French President Macron jointly met with reporters, stating that the two countries will further strengthen defense cooperation.

Merz indicated that Germany and France are paving a new common path in the field of nuclear deterrence. Additionally, at the initiative of the French side, a military exercise for the European "Volunteer Alliance" to aid Ukraine will be held this fall, with Germany participating, and both sides will jointly determine the specific participation methods.

Regarding defense industrial cooperation, Merz mentioned that the fighter jet project under the "Future Combat Air System" framework, which Germany and France had previously promoted together, failed due to industrial differences, but both sides will continue to advance the development of key technologies such as "Combat Cloud" under this framework and strengthen cooperation in areas like integrated air defense systems and long-range weapons.

Macron emphasized the importance of the consensus reached between France and Germany, while stating that France's nuclear deterrent forces will continue to be fully funded by the French side.

Reporters: Zhang Yirong, Li Chao