E5 leaders agreed on a joint strategy in Berlin ahead of the NATO summit

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on European allies to demonstrate unwavering unity and send a strong message of support to Ukraine at the upcoming NATO summit, which will take place on July 7–8 in Ankara, Turkey. 

The German chancellor made this statement following an emergency summit of leaders from the European E5 group (Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Poland) held in Berlin. 

To coordinate a common defense policy, Merz brought together the leaders of the continent’s leading nations in the German capital; NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also joined the meeting via video conference. The main goal of the meeting was to formulate a unified European position ahead of transatlantic talks with U.S. President Donald Trump. The Berlin summit took on particular significance due to the need to reaffirm long-term financial and military commitments to Kyiv, which is intended to demonstrate to the Kremlin the futility of its calculations regarding the erosion of European solidarity.

Following the talks, Friedrich Merz outlined five key tenets of the European security doctrine. In addition to unequivocal financial support for Ukraine, the E5 leaders advocated for preserving NATO’s integrity and immediately strengthening the European defense foundation by increasing national defense spending. The chancellor emphasized that attempts to shape defense policy independently at the isolated national level are a strategic mistake. European leaders also expressed their official approval of the ongoing U.S.-Iranian negotiations aimed at stabilizing the situation in the Strait of Hormuz; Merz will personally inform the presidents of the United States and Turkey of this in the near future.