A post by @FirstSquawk on X.

Italy denied claims that it blocked Germany from joining the UK-led Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the trilateral next-generation fighter jet effort with Japan. The dispute centers on reports that Rome resisted Berlin's potential entry into the project, which is currently structured around the UK, Japan and Italy. The denial matters because GCAP is one of Europe's largest planned defense procurement programs, and any expansion to include Germany would reshape cost-sharing, workshare and industrial contracts among major European aerospace suppliers. Watch for formal statements from the UK and Japanese governments, and for any signal from Berlin on whether it pursues observer or full partner status.