The German government has said it does not consider Wednesday's planned summit with the leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Poland and Italy to be in doubt following British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's announcement that he will resign.
The meeting "is part of the preparation for the NATO summit, and we assume it can continue to take place as planned," government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said in Berlin on Monday, adding that Germany still expected Starmer to attend.
The government had taken note of Starmer's statement on his departure and the timeline for the transition, Kornelius said.
Starmer had always been a reliable and close partner on foreign policy matters, particularly regarding Ukraine, he said.
Starmer announced his resignation as a consequence of a prolonged government crisis, but intends to remain in office until a new Labour Party leader is elected, and the succession process is complete.
Will Poland-Ukraine dispute overshadow Berlin summit?
Asked whether the current dispute between Poland and Ukraine over the history of Ukrainian nationalists would affect the Berlin meeting, Kornelius said the government would not comment on the debate.
He added, "We assume that all parties will continue to work constructively, particularly with regard to Ukraine."
The E5 meeting was primarily aimed at preparing for the NATO summit in Ankara in July and had a different focus in that respect.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had returned by post the highest Polish state honour awarded to him in 2023. The move came after Polish President Karol Nawrocki decided to strip Zelensky of the decoration.
