German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced that Germany will participate in nuclear exercises conducted by France.

Following a joint cabinet meeting held in Germany on July 17 (local time), Chancellor Merz stated on X (formerly Twitter) that "Germany and France are deepening defense cooperation and strengthening Europe's nuclear deterrence," adding that Germany "will join the nuclear exercises conducted by France by the end of the year."

Chancellor Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron presided over a meeting of the two countries' Defense and Security Council at a maintenance hangar at Nörvenich Air Base near Cologne on the morning of July 17, where they officially approved Germany's participation in the French nuclear exercises.

During a joint press conference held after the meeting, Chancellor Merz said that Germany is strengthening its defense capabilities by seriously reviewing France's proposal for nuclear deterrence cooperation and proceeding with the necessary steps.

He added, "This could ultimately lead to a new 'doctrine'," while noting, "However, it is still too early to conclude that at this point."

According to the dpa news agency, the foreign and defense ministers of both countries were present at the meeting.

Two French Rafale fighter jets, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and two Eurofighter jets, the main fighter aircraft of the German Air Force, were stationed at the venue.

These fighter jets also participated in a small-scale exercise on July 16, the day before the meeting, signaling the practical start of nuclear cooperation between the two nations.

President Macron of France, the only country in Western Europe besides the United Kingdom to possess nuclear weapons, has been proposing for several years that European nations join France's "nuclear umbrella."

U.S. nuclear bombs are currently stationed in Germany as part of NATO's nuclear deterrence strategy.

In this context, the cooperation with France is interpreted as complementing, rather than replacing, NATO's nuclear deterrence system, dpa noted.

France has already reached an agreement on nuclear cooperation with the United Kingdom.

To date, seven European countries—Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway—in addition to Germany, have responded positively to France's proposal for a nuclear umbrella.

This German-French Defense and Security Council meeting was held to put bilateral defense cooperation back on track after the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a joint fighter jet development project ambitiously pursued by both countries, recently stalled due to conflicts over stakes and disagreements regarding specifications between companies from the two nations.

AFP reported that President Macron, who faces a presidential election next spring, is rushing to achieve results in defense cooperation with Germany, as there is a high possibility of increased uncertainty for European security if Marine Le Pen, a pro-Russian, far-right National Rally (RN) lawmaker currently leading in the polls, wins the presidency.

President Macron described the meeting as "part of a process to build a strong Europe that combines the strengths of both countries," adding that he "hopes this will serve as an opportunity to breathe new life into bilateral defense cooperation."

AFP reported that the two sides discussed strengthening cooperation in areas such as radar systems, long-range precision strike capabilities, and missile defense during the meeting.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)