Readout of Prime Minister’s meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

“The Prime Minister met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ahead of the NATO summit this morning.

“The Chancellor welcomed the Prime Minister's commitment to re-setting the UK's European partnerships, noting how important our friendships with like-minded countries will be in a challenging international environment. They discussed the importance of having the widest possible cooperation across all aspects of the relationship.

“The two leaders moved on to discuss the need for enhanced defence cooperation in Europe to act as a deterrent for aggression by hostile actors. They agreed that the NATO summit was an opportunity to strengthen our support for Ukraine. The two leaders agreed a firm commitment to deepen in particular UK-Germany defence ties, working at pace to deliver those objectives.

“The Prime Minister and the Chancellor look forward to meeting again at the European Political Community summit in the UK next week to continue these discussions.”