Britain and Australia to sign 50-year nuclear submarine treaty

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Britain and Australia announced they will sign a cooperation treaty to build Australian nuclear-powered submarines and welcomed a review by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration of the United States' role in the trilateral defense deal.

Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey and Foreign Secretary David Lammy met Friday with their Australian counterparts Richard Marles and Penny Wong in Sydney for an annual bilateral meeting.

Marles said he and Healey will sign a 50-year treaty Saturday that will underpin bilateral cooperation on building an Australian fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology.

“It is as significant a treaty as has been signed between our two countries since federation,” Marles said, referring to the unification of several British colonies to form the Australian government in 1901.

The three-way alliance was announced in 2021 to contend with growing Chinese military might in the Asia-Pacific region. It would deliver Australia at least eight submarines including three to five second-hand U.S. Virginia-class submarines. Britain and Australia would cooperate to build their own SSN-AUKUS submarines.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reviewing the pact, known by the acronym AUKUS, that was entered into by U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. There are concerns that the U.S. won’t provide Australia with its first Virginia-class submarine by the early 2030s as planned because U.S. submarine-building was behind schedule.

Marles and Healey declined to speculate on whether Britain and Australia would continue with jointly building submarines if the U.S. pulled out when questioned at a press conference.

“Australia and the U.K. welcome the review because we see this as a chance for a new administration to renew their commitment to AUKUS. And that’s what we expect,” Healey said.

“Any sort of hypotheticals that you suggest simply aren’t part of the picture,” Healey added, referring to the prospect of Britain and Australia proceeding without the U.S.

The Australian government confirmed this week it had paid the U.S. a second $500 million installment on the AUKUS deal. The first $500 million was paid in February.

The submarines are expected cost Australia up to $245 billion.

The meeting comes as 3,000 British military personnel take part in the largest military exercise ever conducted in Australia.

More than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations are taking part in Exercise Talisman Sabre, which began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the U.S. and Australia.

Marles and Healey will inspect the British aircraft HMS Prince of Wales at the northern port of Darwin on Sunday. The carrier is in Australia to take part in the war games.

Lammy said the carrier’s arrival in Darwin was meant to send a clear signal to the world.

“With our carrier strike group docking in Darwin, I think we’re sending a clear signal, a signal of the U.K.’s commitment to this region of the world. Our determination to keep the Indo-Pacific free and open, and that we stand together,” he said.

Britain's Secretary of State for Defence John Healey speaks at a press conference at Admiralty House following the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) in Sydney, Australia, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy speaks at a press conference at Admiralty House following the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) in Sydney, Australia, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, from left, Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Britain's Secretary of State for Defence John Healey hold a press conference at Admiralty House following the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) in Sydney, Australia, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, left, Britain's Foreign Secretary, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy, second left, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey, right, hold a press conference at Admiralty House following the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) in Sydney, Australia, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, left, Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy, second left, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Britain's Secretary of State for Defence John Healey, right, hold a press conference at Admiralty House following the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) in Sydney, Australia, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — It was Georgia's day at the European figure skating championships Thursday.

Skaters representing the former Soviet nation won the pairs gold medal and took the lead in the men's event at the championships, a key warmup for next month's Winter Olympics.

Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava recovered from a fall to win their first European title after silver in 2024 and bronze last year.

The Georgians had the lead from Wednesday's short program and, even though Metelkina fell on a triple toeloop, the rest of their free skate was strong to score 139.80 for a total 215.76.

The two skaters laid on their backs on the ice in relief after finishing their free skate, as Berulava pumped his fists and made a snow angel gesture.

The title defense of Germany's Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin ended with an erratic free skate. Hase fell on a throw triple loop and tumbled to the ice again when Volodin tried to lower her down from their final lift.

Hase seemed in pain as she waited for the scores, and then stunned to see that she and Volodin had scored enough to stay ahead overall of third-place Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko of Hungary, 203.87 to 202.56.

Georgian figure skater Nika Egadze edged ahead of two Estonian brothers to take the lead in the men's short program.

Egadze scored 91.28 points for the lead after starting his program with a bang, following up a quadruple salchow-triple toeloop combination with a quad toeloop.

That was enough to beat last year's silver medalist Aleksandr Selevko on 88.71 and his younger brother Mihhail on 88.28. Defending champion Lukas Britschgi was sixth for Switzerland.

Estonia is on track for more medals as Niina Petrokina leads the women's event ahead of Friday's free skate.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics

Estonia's Aleksandr Selevko competes during the Men's Short Program on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, Thursday, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Georgia's Nika Egadze competes during the Men's Short Program on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, Thursday, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin compete during the Pairs Free Skating on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Georgia's Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava compete during the Pairs Free Skating on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Georgia's Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava compete during the Pairs Free Skating on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)