BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.

Hello, and welcome to political thinking.

I'm here in the German embassy in London to interview Germany's new leader, Friedrich Mertz,

who took power just 10 weeks ago.

It is already clear that he is unlike any leader of Germany since the war.

He is a man who wants his country to be powerful not just economically but militarily because

he believes that Germany, that Europe needs to stand up to Vladimir Putin and prepare for

the possibility of independence from the United States as American politicians become less and less

patient with the Europeans because they don't pay enough for their own defence. He came to London

to sign a friendship treaty between Britain and Germany. The first of it sought its focus, the shared

challenges, not just defence,

but a stuttering economy and the problem of uncontrolled mass migration.

Chancellor Merz, thank you so much for talking to us.

You in many ways are a leader like no other of your country because you are saying openly you want

Germany once again to be strong militarily. Why so? Well first of all let me say that I'm really

honored to be here today because this is an historic day for Britain and for Germany to sign this agreement.

And for our domestic policy it's important that we are becoming stronger militarily than we were in the past

and that we are becoming stronger economically as we were in the past.

So this is the mission of our government.

Your defense minister, Boris Pistorius, said to his own people,

we must be ready for war by 2029.

Be clear about that if you could.

...