The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and United Kingdom–calling themselves the E5–met yesterday in Berlin and “affirmed their unwavering commitment to Euro-Atlantic security and the transatlantic bond, recognising the vital role the US continues to play in the Alliance. They agreed to collectively work towards a successful NATO summit in Ankara hosted by President Erdogan on 7-8 July 2026,” according to a [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e5-leaders-statement-24-june-2026] statement posted by No. 10 Downing St.
Two of the five areas on which they agreed to “move forward” include the following:
Collective Security: “Leaders agree to proactively strengthen the Alliance’s deterrence and defence posture and increase contributions to NATO’s deterrence activities in order to respond to and deter the most significant and direct threat from Russia and the most direct asymmetric threat of terrorism to Euro-Atlantic security….”
Support for Ukraine: “Leaders are committed to further substantially support Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression, including through sanctions and economic pressure on Russia as well as support for the resilience of Ukraine’s energy sector.” Furthermore, “They reiterate their commitment to deepening NATO’s partnership with Ukraine, bringing Ukraine closer to the Alliance and recognizing the vital contribution Ukraine makes to Euro-Atlantic security. Leaders are aligned regarding the conditions for a just and lasting peace and support proposals for direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia—with active US and European participation.”
Of the five leaders present at the Berlin summit, one, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, announced his resignation last week, and at least two of the others, French President Emanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, are extremely unpopular at home.
