Germany and Poland sign new defence deal as Europe's balance of power shifts
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk signed a new defence cooperation agreement in Berlin. The deal, reported by Euronews, covers joint weapons production, border-security coordination and logistics for the eastern flank. The move signals that intra-European balance is realigning around a Berlin-Warsaw axis at a time when the United States is reopening its European defence commitments.
The agreement creates a joint procurement committee between the two defence ministries and establishes shared military logistics corridors along the eastern border. In remarks quoted by Euronews, Merz said: "This deal is not a wartime expedient, it is part of Europe's permanent architecture." Tusk said the cooperation would strengthen the Polish economy on the industrial side, not only the military.
The deal comes after Trump administration statements in recent months that US force levels in Europe would be reviewed. European leaders had left the Évian G7 summit described as "relieved" by negotiations on Ukraine and Iran.
Under the framework, Rheinmetall and PGZ signed a preliminary agreement on co-producing a joint tank platform. That is described as the most far-reaching integration step between the German and Polish defence industries in three years.
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