German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Europe's Big Five NATO allies - known collectively as the E5 - are united in their determination to strengthen the alliance, two weeks before the NATO summit in Ankara.
Merz made the remarks at an E5 summit in Berlin on Wednesday evening, saying the gathering wanted to "make this important summit a success together," adding: "That serves our security in dangerous times."
A successful summit would strengthen trans-Atlantic ties with the US "and it brings us together as Europeans," Merz said.
At a press conference following the meeting, held alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Merz outlined five messages for the NATO summit, which is due to take place in Ankara on July 7 and 8.
"We stand together for a NATO that is strong and united in preserving security in the Euro-Atlantic area, in the interest of all allies. Second: we want to renew the alliance. We are strengthening its European pillar," he said.
Higher defence spending lays the foundation for a more balanced trans-Atlantic partnership, he added.
The third point, Merz said, was greater cooperation - both trans-Atlantic and European. "Going it alone in our defence policy would be the wrong path," he said. For Germany specifically, he said neighbouring countries should feel more secure as a result.
The Europeans also want to send a strong signal of support for Ukraine at Ankara. Merz named this as the fourth point: "The federal government proposes that we give Kiev, as European NATO allies, a strong financing commitment. The message to Russia is: Ukraine remains strong. Europe's support is not waning."
Finally, the E5 group also welcomed the framework agreement for a peace settlement between the United States and Iran.
Macron and Meloni announced that the Europeans would signal their readiness at the summit for a military mission in the Strait of Hormuz. However, both said several conditions would first need to be met. Among other things, the US and Iran still need to agree on the implementation of a framework agreement that has led to a ceasefire.
Merz, meanwhile, praised the outgoing British Prime Minister Starmer for his "team play" over the past two years.
Merz said he would later brief US President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other partners on the outcomes of the meeting.
Rutte in Washington
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte joined the E5 summit in Berlin by video link from Washington.
He was due to meet Trump later on Wednesday evening. The outcome of that meeting is seen as crucial to whether the summit will be a success and whether the easing of tensions between the US and Europeans - initiated at the G7 summit - will continue after considerable friction during the Iran war.
The Berlin gathering was 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.
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."
Operation Epic Fury was the US code name for its joint military operations with Israel against Iran that began on February 28.
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.
