European allies want to send “a strong signal of support for Ukraine” at the NATO summit in Ankara in July, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said after hosting the leaders of France, Britain, Italy and Poland in Berlin.
“The message to Russia is: Ukraine remains strong,” Merz said at a joint press event on Wednesday, after the leaders also held a video call with NATO chief Mark Rutte.
Merz said Germany was proposing that European NATO allies make a “strong financing commitment” to Kiev, stressing that Europe’s support for Ukraine “is not wavering”.
He had invited French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for talks in the so-called E5 format ahead of the July 7-8 summit in the Turkish capital.
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Leaders from all 32 NATO member states, including US President Donald Trump, are expected to attend the summit.
In a joint statement, the E5 leaders pledged “to further substantially support Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression”, including through sanctions and economic pressure on Russia, as well as support for the resilience of Ukraine’s energy sector.
Merz said he would brief Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the outcome of the Berlin talks.
