- The Kensington Treaty is the first bilateral agreement signed between the two since World War II, which focuses on defence.
- The treaty also mentions intensifying trilateral relations between the UK, Germany, and France whilst also furthering common interests through multilateral forums like NATO, G7 and the United Nations.
- The Kensington Treaty hence marks a major milestone in the evolving landscape of European diplomacy and security.
In an increasingly unstable security domain that global politics currently rests in, the Kensington Treaty between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Federal Republic of Germany on friendship and bilateral cooperation, which was signed on the 17th of July, 2025, is more than a formal agreement between the two countries. It’s the first bilateral agreement signed between the two since World War II that focuses on defence. The UK and Germany have deepened their bilateral cooperation in matters of defence, security, sanctions policy, peace talks, migration, economy, and climate change, among many more, in the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the war in Gaza. This treaty is thus a strategic step in securing identity and surviving in a changing world order for both countries.
The Kensington Treaty was signed by the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, which has instilled great cooperation between the two European powers. This treaty provides an opportunity for the UK to have deep relations with Germany post-Brexit, and it allows Germany to explore beyond the EU framework that exists.
The treaty covers and affirms the commitment of both countries in various fields: cybersecurity, emerging technology, Artificial Intelligence, the Sustainable Development Goals, Health, education and most notably the fields of defence and security. Defence cooperation is also observed to be very futuristic as it includes countering threats arising not just from the conventional realms of Land, Air, Sea and Space but also the virtual world of Cyber. Both the nation’s commitment towards AI and Cyberwarfare is timely, considering Russia and China’s growing tech ambitions. Educational and cultural exchanges have also been mentioned as advancing the soft power prowess of both.
The treaty also mentions intensifying trilateral relations between the UK, Germany, and France whilst also furthering common interests through multilateral forums like NATO, G7 and the United Nations. The treaty after identifying and mentioning the Russian Federation’s aggression on the European continent as the most significant and direct threat to their security particularly reaffirm the Parties to the treaty’s (UK and Germany) commitment to the defence alliance which is the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), specifically mentioning and focusing on Article 5 which is the major defence clause of the military alliance. The Kensington Treaty is thus a silent yet strong strategic geopolitical signal towards the ongoing war that their neighbour, Ukraine, is facing. It therefore aims to provide a deterrent to the not-so-strong European Security architecture at the moment.
The Kensington Treaty hence marks a major milestone in the evolving landscape of European diplomacy and security. It’s a major strategic decision taken by the governments of both the UK and Germany to consciously not just establish deterrence but also explore collaborations in depth in a plethora of avenues. It’s a symbol of a new structure of bilateral cooperation advanced by two European powers in a constantly changing multipolar world.
References:
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/treaty-between-the-united-kingdom-of-great-britain-and-northern-ireland-and-the-federal-republic-of-germany-on-friendship-and-bilateral-cooperation
- https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-remarks-at-press-conference-with-chancellor-merz-17-july-2025#:~:text=Building%20on%20our%20new%20agreement,our%20shared%20aims%20and%20values.
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/17/uk-and-germany-sign-first-bilateral-treaty-since-ww2-with-focus-on-defence
- https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/uk-germany-hail-wide-ranging-treaty-deepening-ties-face-threats-2025-07-16/
- https://www.bbc.com/news/live/ckgl4v24pyyt
- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/missiles-mutual-aid-and-a-drone-factory-uk-and-germany-sign-historic-defence-treaty-with-eye-on-russia-and-trumps-nato-drift/articleshow/122765303.cms?from=mdr
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/17/merz-calls-for-uk-germany-and-france-to-align-on-migration-and-defence
- https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/07/after-brexit-e3-new-treaty-puts-uk-germany-and-france-back-heart-european-security
Vibha Hareesh has a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Jindal Global University. She has a strong interest in geopolitics, international relations, and security studies. Views expressed are the author’s own.
Raghvendra Tripathi 
Sakshi Yadav