The leaders of five powerful European countries are scheduled to meet in Berlin on Wednesday at the invitation of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, two weeks before the NATO summit in Turkey.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who this week announced his resignation, plan to join the discussions, which are expected to focus on continued support for Ukraine, the European role in resolving the Iran conflict and burden-sharing among NATO states.
This is the first summit of the E5 countries since the military alliance's last summit in The Hague in June 2025.
The group consists of the four European G7 states and Poland, which borders Russia and sees itself as representing the interests of Eastern European states. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also participated in the summit in the Netherlands.
Diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine have so far been spearheaded by Germany, France and Britain - the E3 - on behalf of the Europeans, drawing criticism from Italy and Poland. The future group format is also likely to be a topic of discussion in Berlin.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is expected to join the meeting online from Washington, where he is due to meet US President Donald Trump for potentially tricky talks about Europe's contribution to collective defence.
The US leadership is also frustrated by the lack of support from NATO allies in the Iran war.
France, Britain and Germany are hoping to compensate for this by deploying mine hunters and warships to ensure greater security in the Strait of Hormuz, which separates Iran and Oman, should a ceasefire continue.
The NATO summit is scheduled to take place on July 7-8 in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
