BERLIN – Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, hosted the E5 format of European allies with the aim of showing that Europe’s support for Ukraine remains strong.
Merz pressed for continued deliveries of air defense systems to Kiev following an increase in drone attacks from Russia in Ukraine.
The meeting with Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Donald Tusk and Giorgia Meloni was joined using a video link by Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO.
Just two weeks before the NATO summit in Ankara, the E5, which is emerging as the key formation of European allies, is facing an important test: the leaders last met in this configuration on the sidelines of last year’s NATO summit in The Hague.
W-who? Finding a voice for Europe
The leaders of Britain, France, Italy and Poland will be hosted by Friedrich Merz in Berlin…
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Poland and Italy had been particularly keen to be included in the talks: after an earlier E3 meeting in London, Tusk had openly criticized the decision not to invite Warsaw.
The Berlin meeting was largely symbolic, with participants seeking to demonstrate European unity and signal to Washington that Europe is prepared to take greater responsibility for supporting Ukraine.
At a joint press conference afterwards, all the leaders thanked the outgoing British prime minister, with Tusk going so far as to say that Starmer had made Europeans “forget about Brexit, at least temporarily”.
Merz outlined five key messages that emerged from the meeting: First, participants stood firmly behind a united NATO. Second, they supported efforts to modernize the alliance and strengthen its European pillar. Germany, he said, aims to meet NATO’s defense spending target of 3.5% of GDP by 2029.
Thirdly, Merz emphasized that this course should be pursued collectively and not through solo national initiatives. Germany’s neighbors, he argued, should feel more secure as Germany grows stronger, as Berlin aims to remain deeply embedded within the Alliance. In particular, he emphasized the importance of greater cooperation in air defense.
Fourth, the leaders agreed that the NATO summit in Ankara should send a strong signal of support to Ukraine. Finally, they welcomed the fact that the United States and Iran had reached a framework agreement.
Macron said he saw signs of growing convergence between the US and European allies. Starmer argued that further pressure on the Russian economy would be necessary, adding that support for Ukraine would be the defining issue at the NATO summit.
Tusk emphasized that support for Ukraine would be difficult without the involvement of Poland and the Baltic states.
The Polish Prime Minister will wait Ukraine Recovery Conference in Warsaw on Thursday.
