Five of Europe's most powerful NATO member states - known collectively as the E5 - were holding top-level talks in Berlin on Wednesday evening, two weeks before the NATO summit in Turkey.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was hosting French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Chancellery.
A working meeting and joint dinner are planned.
The agenda covers continued support for Ukraine, Europe's role in resolving the Iran conflict and burden-sharing among NATO members - all issues set to feature at the summit of the alliance's 32 member states on July 7 and 8.
The Trump factor
The Ankara summit is again expected to revolve around one question: What will US President Donald Trump do?
European leaders are also keen to assess whether the easing of tensions between Washington and its allies that began at the G7 summit in France this month can be sustained after strains during the war with Iran. Recent public disagreements between Trump and Meloni have raised fresh questions ahead of the NATO meeting.
The Berlin gathering is the first E5 summit since the NATO meeting in The Hague in June 2025, which was also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The group consists of the four European G7 countries and Poland, which borders Russia and sees itself as a representative of Eastern European interests.
Rutte to join from Washington
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte plans to join the meeting by video link from Washington, where he is due to meet Trump later in the day.
The US expects Europeans to do more for alliance defence. At the same time, Washington is frustrated by what it sees as insufficient allied support during the Iran war, which the US began in February alongside Israel.
Countries such as France, the United Kingdom and Germany want to compensate for this by deploying minehunters and warships to enhance security in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz - the waterway between Iran and Oman - should a ceasefire hold.
Before his meeting with Trump, Rutte sought to smooth tensions. "When it comes to NATO, I know there is disappointment," Rutte told US broadcaster Fox News. "But let's also see that these are isolated cases, because there is something more to say about this. Country after country, ally after ally after ally, have made their bases available for Epic Fury."
E1, E3 or E5 - who should negotiate with Putin?
Although the five leaders may be broadly aligned on Trump and the NATO summit, Ukraine is a source of friction.
Italy and Poland are frustrated that Germany, France and the United Kingdom have recently taken the lead on Europe's diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine war, referring to themselves as the E3.
Tusk and Meloni feel sidelined. "Poland is an absolutely indispensable link for any serious discussion about the future of Ukraine and the region," the Polish prime minister said two weeks ago, news agency PAP reported.
Italy's foreign minister calls for a single negotiator
Speaking shortly before the E5 summit, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for Europe to agree on a single negotiator.
"We need to find a person - a man or a woman - who speaks to Moscow on behalf of and on the instructions of all of Europe," he told Roman newspaper La Verità. "It could be the head of state or government of a medium-sized European country, it could be an institutional authority, for example [European Council] President [António] Costa." He personally favoured "someone from the institutions."
Costa caused a stir at last week's EU summit in Brussels after his team made contact with Russia without prior consultation. The Portuguese politician received backing for this from some EU member states, including Ireland and Austria.
The German delegation, on the other hand, saw the initiative as an affront to the E3.
