German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that European leaders want to send a "strong signal of support" to Ukraine at the NATO summit to be held in Ankara in July.
Speaking while hosting the leaders of the UK, France, Italy and Poland at the European Quintet (E5) summit in Berlin on Wednesday, Merz said, "Our message to Russia is: Ukraine remains strong."
After the meeting, the E5 leaders held a video call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Leaders of 32 countries, including US President Donald Trump, will attend the NATO summit in the Turkish capital on July 7-8.
Joint statement emphasizes sanctions and energy
Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in a joint statement pledged to "further support Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression, including through sanctions and economic pressure on Russia as well as support for the resilience of Ukraine's energy sector."
Merz also said a successful summit would strengthen transatlantic ties with the US and "bring us Europeans together." The German Chancellor added that he would inform Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the talks in Berlin.
Signal of military mission in the Strait of Hormuz
Macron and Meloni said Europeans would signal their readiness for a military mission in the Strait of Hormuz at the NATO summit. However, both leaders stressed that several conditions must be met, including the need for the US and Iran to finalize a memorandum of understanding covering nuclear inspectors and frozen assets.
Al Jazeera correspondent Dominic Kane reported that Merz "aimed to send a message to the wider world, and perhaps especially to Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, that the E5 countries are ready to play their role in NATO." Kane stressed that this summit in Berlin reiterated the E5's commitment to increase defense spending made at last week's EU summit.
At the summit, European leaders also praised British Prime Minister Starmer, who is nearing the end of his term, for his work over the past two years. Merz referred to Starmer's "team play," Macron to his "good strategic decisions," and Meloni to his "excellent cooperation." Tusk, known as an Anglophile, said Starmer's determination had made Europe a united force again and that leaders had "forgotten about Brexit for a while."
