Germany's Merz rallies European NATO allies ahead of summit

Germany's Merz rallies European NATO allies ahead of summit June 24, 2026Europe's five most powerful NATO member states gathered in Berlin for top-level talks on Wednesday evening. The meeting comes two weeks before the NATO summit in Turkey. Known collectively as the E5, the gathering was hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who was joined by French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. After the meeting, Merz said "our neighbors should feel more secure if Germany grows stronger." "That is why we want to firmly anchor Germany, its armed forces, and its defense industry within the alliance and in Europe. We have a profound interest of our own in doing so," he added. Macron pushes for better US-Europe ties Despite rocky ties with Washington and the US' European allies under President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron stressed Europeans' commitment to the trans-Atlantic partnership. "We are committing with determination, we are increasing our budgets, we are expanding our capabilities," Macron said on Wednesday. He said the aim was to strengthen deterrence capabilities through joint cooperation. Macron also pointed to unity on display between Europe and the US at G7 summit in France last week. "Essentially, I want to say that we are currently in a phase of rapprochement between the Europeans and the Americans." At the start of the summit, the E5 put out a joint statement saying they "affirmed their unwavering commitment to Euro-Atlantic security and the transatlantic bond." "We want to renew the Alliance. We are strengthening its European pillar," Merz said as the leaders made brief remarks prior to the group's dinner. The meeting comes as the US has strongly criticized NATO and European countries for their reluctance to support the US-Israeli war on Iran, with US President Donald Trump threatening to reduce American troops stationed in Europe. Support for Ukraine A joint E5 statement said the countries would "further substantially 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 pointed out that after the G7 summit last week, "across the Atlantic, we are more united than we have been for a long time." "We hope that Moscow will draw conclusions from this. It is time to enter into peace talks," he added. "The message to Russia is: Ukraine remains strong," Merz said at a joint press event in Berlin after the meeting. The German government "proposes that we, as European NATO allies, give Kyiv a strong financing commitment" and stressed that "Europe's support is not wavering," the chancellor said. NATO chief visits White House On Wednesday NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte headed to Washington for his third visit since Trump began his second term last year. It comes after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at allies while attending a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Rutte is expected to use Wednesday's White House meeting to try to diffuse tensions between the US and European nations. The NATO chief and Trump enjoy a cordial relationship, which has previously helped Rutte subdue US concerns and frustrations with the alliance. Edited by: Wesley Rahn