The leaders of Europe's five largest military powers gathered in Berlin on June 24 and pledged to keep up "strong" support for Ukraine, in a show of unity ahead of a NATO summit next month that is expected to test the alliance's cohesion.
A united message from Berlin
Meeting in the German capital, the heads of government of Britain, France, Italy, Poland and Germany said they would "further substantially support Ukraine in its defence" through sanctions, economic pressure on Russia and help for Ukraine's battered energy sector, Al Jazeera reported. The grouping brings together the continent's biggest defense contributors to coordinate on major security questions.
Among those present was British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, described as the outgoing premier after announcing his resignation earlier in the week. Fellow leaders praised his role over the past two years, with one crediting his commitment with helping make Europe "a united force again," according to Al Jazeera.
Ankara on the horizon
The Berlin meeting was a staging post for NATO's next summit, which the alliance will hold in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7 and 8, according to NATO. Leaders from the alliance's 32 member states are expected to attend, including U.S. President Donald Trump.
The agenda is likely to center on two linked questions: sustaining support for Ukraine, and turning the alliance's headline defense-spending pledges into concrete national plans. European members have moved to raise military budgets sharply in recent years, a shift driven in part by Washington's insistence that allies shoulder more of the burden.
Strains beneath the surface
The unified European messaging masks real tensions within the alliance. Trump has repeatedly pressed members to spend more on their own defense, and friction has grown over more than money. Several NATO members declined to back Washington's recent military campaign against Iran, prompting public frustration from Trump and unease in European capitals about the direction of U.S. foreign policy.
Trump has also signaled he wants to help bring the war in Ukraine to an end, a stance that has left European allies uncertain about Washington's ultimate negotiating position toward Kyiv. For Ukraine, now well into the war's later years, the durability of European backing — and how much of any American shortfall the continent can cover — has become a central question.
No immediate comment from Moscow or Kyiv on the Berlin meeting was available. The leaders' pledges will be tested when the alliance convenes in Ankara, where the gap between public unity and private disagreement may prove harder to paper over.
