(ANSA-AFP) - LONDON, OCT 23 - London and Berlin on Wednesday
hailed a "milestone" in military cooperation, as they signed a
new defence pact that would see German submarine-hunting planes
operate from British bases and counter threats from Russia after
its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Europe's two biggest defence
spenders said the Trinity House Agreement, signed by defence
ministers John Healey and Boris Pistorius, would strengthen
NATO's "European pillar" at a time of increased threat from the
east.
An eye-catching part of the deal is the prospect of German
Boeing P-8 aircraft patrolling the skies of the North Atlantic
from a base in northern Scotland. Another will see German arms
giant Rheinmetall open a UK factory making artillery gun
barrels, using British steel. Healey told a joint news
conference that European allies needed to take on more
responsibility for European security "and this is the driving
force behind our NATO-first UK defence strategy. (ANSA-AFP).
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