Europe’s five biggest defense spenders meet in Berlin

The leaders of Europe's five largest military powers convened in Berlin on Wednesday to reinforce defense cooperation and coordinate support for Ukraine ahead of a pivotal NATO summit. French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attended the E5 summit, a format established in 2024 for Europe's biggest defense spenders.

The meeting aimed to build on recent diplomatic momentum, including the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains that concluded on June 17. Chancellor Merz stated the focus was on preparing for the NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the situation in the Middle East. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte joined the discussions via video conference.

A central theme was strengthening NATO's European pillar in response to a gradual scaling-back of the United States' military presence on the continent. All leaders committed to significantly boosting national defense spending. Chancellor Merz described this as laying the foundation for a more balanced transatlantic partnership. The group agreed to coordinate...