00:00Germany's newly elected Chancellor Friedrich Merz
00:03made his first official visit abroad to France on Wednesday,
00:08hoping to relaunch the Franco-German relationship.
00:12Both him and French President Emmanuel Macron
00:14announced during a press conference
00:17some key security initiatives,
00:20including a Franco-German Defence and Security Council
00:24vowing to act hand-in-hand
00:26when it comes to mounting security challenges across Europe.
00:31And when it comes to the war in Ukraine,
00:34although both were cautious of announcing anything concrete
00:37like the deployment of peacekeeping troops,
00:41both leaders did say that they were ready to provide
00:43security guarantees to Kiev
00:46the moment that a lasting peace treaty and ceasefire
00:51have been concluded.
00:52The German Chancellor stressed multiple times
00:55the importance of the United States' role
00:59with trying to end Russia's full-scale invasion.
01:03But beyond defence,
01:04the German Chancellor is also looking to reset ties with Paris
01:08and also with other countries abroad
01:10after a bumpy start at home,
01:13when on Tuesday he failed to be elected
01:16in the first round of voting within the German Parliament.
01:20But his more flexible stance on fiscal rules
01:24and defence spending have been warmly welcomed
01:27here at the Élysée Palace.
01:29Still, key differences remain,
01:31like for example when it comes to the free trade
01:34Mercosur agreement.
01:36The French President warned that any treaty
01:39must protect European producers,
01:41whilst Merz during the press conference
01:44said that this treaty should be ratified
01:46as quickly as possible.
01:48And although both leaders did show quite a united stance
01:52this Wednesday,
01:53it's true that Europe's future will depend
01:56on how this new Franco-German duo
01:59will navigate what comes next.
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