Germany and the United Kingdom will sign a bilateral treaty committing each nation to assist the other in the event of a strategic threat, according to Politico, citing officials involved in the talks.

The agreement, developed over 18 rounds of negotiations since August 2024, builds on a joint declaration made last year by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

German officials said the treaty is nearly complete and will be signed on July 17, before the two parliaments recess for the summer. 

Central to the treaty is a mutual assistance clause treating a threat to one as a threat to both. 

Though both countries remain committed to NATO, the clause reflects growing European efforts to bolster defense cooperation independently, especially amid U.S. retrenchment under President Donald Trump.

The document is also expected to include further measures on illegal migration, transportation, and research and innovation. “The treaty will deal with the entire range of our relations,” a spokesperson for the German Foreign Office said. 

Britain’s Foreign Office declined to comment on the report.