Merz, Macron announce plans for Franco-German defence and security council
They said the initiative has been taken as both nations intended to 'respond together to the challenges that Europe faces' and 'act hand in hand'
Germany's newly elected Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron announced the plan for the creation of a Franco-German Defence and Security Council.
The announcement was made during a joint press conference in Paris, France following a meeting between the two leaders today (7 May), reports Euro news.
The meeting was an attempt to revive the stalled 'Franco-German motor' before Germany's new chancellor heads to Poland.
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At the media briefing, Merz and Macron said the initiative has been taken as both nations intended to "respond together to the challenges that Europe faces" and "act hand in hand."
Regarding Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine, Merz confirmed plans to visit Kyiv in the coming weeks, stressing a goal of "bringing about a lasting ceasefire and a peace agreement with Russia."
While cautious about committing to troop deployments, Merz said Germany and France would offer "security guarantees" to Ukraine once a lasting ceasefire and peace treaty are concluded.
Merz insisted that this can only be accomplished with a more robust commitment from the United States.
During the press conference, the French leader said, "We're in favour of trade agreements if they protect European producers."
However, Merz said that the European Union must "quickly" ratify the free trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur countries.
